Sample records for adjustable passive constraint

This paper presents a design methodology for the suspension system of a novel aerodynamically efficient motorcycle. Since the machine's layout and the rider's seating position are unconventional, several aspects of the machine design, including the suspension, must be reviewed afresh. The design process is based on matrix inequalities that are used to optimise a road-grip objective function - others could be used equally well. The design problem is cast as the minimisation of an H 2 cost with passivityconstraints imposed on the suspension transference. The resulting bilinear matrix inequality problem is solved using a locally optimal iterative algorithm. The matrix inequality-type characterisation of positive real functions permits the optimisation of the suspension system over an entire class of passive admittances. Torsional springs, dampers and inerters are then used to construct networks corresponding to the optimal (positive real) admittances. Networks of first, second, third and fourth orders are considered, and an argument based on the compromise between complexity and improved grip is made for the most suitable suspension configuration. Finally, the effects of improved road grip on the stability of the vehicle's lateral dynamics are analysed.

Losing a loved one is a normative life event, yet there is great variability in subsequent interpersonal experiences and adjustment. The Social-Cognitive Processing (SCP) model suggests that social constraints (i.e. limited opportunities to disclose thoughts and feelings in a supportive context) impede emotional and cognitive processing of stressful life events, which may lead to maladjustment. This study investigates personal and loss-related correlates of social constraints during bereavement, the links between social constraints and post-loss adjustment, and whether social constraints moderate the relations between loss-related intrusive thoughts and adjustment. A community sample of bereaved individuals (n = 238) provided demographic and loss-related information and reported on their social constraints, loss-related intrusions, and psychological and physical adjustment. Women, younger people, and those with greater financial concerns reported more social constraints. Social constraints were significantly associated with more depressive symptoms, perceived stress, somatic symptoms, and worse global health. Individuals with high social constraints and high loss-related intrusions had the highest depressive symptoms and perceived life stress. Consistent with the SCP model, loss-related social constraints are associated with poorer adjustment, especially psychological adjustment. In particular, experiencing social constraints in conjunction with loss-related intrusions may heighten the risk for poor psychological health. PMID:25708231

This paper investigates a passive control method of a point absorbing wave energy converter by considering the displacement and velocity constraints under irregular waves in the time domain. A linear generator is used as a power take-off unit, and the equivalent damping force is optimized to improve the power production of the wave energy converter. The results from nonlinear and linear passive control methods are compared, and indicate that the nonlinear passive control method leads to the e...

With a purpose of constructing a robust evolution system against numerical instability for integrating the Einstein equations, we propose a new formulation by adjusting the ADM evolution equations with constraints. We apply an adjusting method proposed by Fiske (2004) which uses the norm of the constraints, C2. One of the advantages of this method is that the effective signature of adjusted terms (Lagrange multipliers) for constraint-damping evolution is predetermined. We demonstrate this fact by showing the eigenvalues of constraint propagation equations. We also perform numerical tests of this adjusted evolution system using polarized Gowdy-wave propagation, which show robust evolutions against the violation of the constraints than that of the standard ADM formulation.

In this paper, the feasibility and objectives coordination of real-time optimization (RTO) are systemically investigated under soft constraints. The reason for requiring soft constraintsadjustment and objective relaxation simultaneously is that the result is not satisfactory when the feasible region is apart from the desired working point or the optimization problem is infeasible. The mixed logic method is introduced to describe the priority of the constraints and objectives, thereby the soft constraintsadjustment and objectives coordination are solved together in RTO. A case study on the Shell heavy oil fractionators benchmark problem illustrating the method is finally presented.

This paper is the first to study the behaviour of financial ratios in an emerging economy of Central Europe. Using the entire population of company accounts in Bulgaria we find that for the financial ratios we considered, adjustment towards a target takes place but the speed of adjustment is lower than that for Western companies reported in earlier studies. Also, we find the adjustment of financial ratios in Bulgaria to be far slower in firms characterized by soft budget constraints, a widesp...

Full Text Available For nonlinear discrete-time stochastic systems, a fuzzy controller design methodology is developed in this paper subject to state variance constraint and passivityconstraint. According to fuzzy model based control technique, the nonlinear discrete-time stochastic systems considered in this paper are represented by the discrete-time Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy models with multiplicative noise. Employing Lyapunov stability theory, upper bound covariance control theory, and passivity theory, some sufficient conditions are derived to find parallel distributed compensation based fuzzy controllers. In order to solve these sufficient conditions, an iterative linear matrix inequality algorithm is applied based on the linear matrix inequality technique. Finally, the fuzzy stabilization problem for nonlinear discrete ship steering stochastic systems is investigated in the numerical example to illustrate the feasibility and validity of proposed fuzzy controller design method.

Progress by investigators at Georgia Tech in defining the requirements for large space antennas for passive microwave Earth imaging systems is reviewed. In order to determine antenna constraints (e.g., the aperture size, illumination taper, and gain uncertainty limits) necessary for the retrieval of geophysical parameters (e.g., rain rate) with adequate spatial resolution and accuracy, a numerical simulation of the passive microwave observation and retrieval process is being developed. Due to the small spatial scale of precipitation and the nonlinear relationships between precipitation parameters (e.g., rain rate, water density profile) and observed brightness temperatures, the retrieval of precipitation parameters are of primary interest in the simulation studies. Major components of the simulation are described as well as progress and plans for completion. The overall goal of providing quantitative assessments of the accuracy of candidate geosynchronous and low-Earth orbiting imaging systems will continue under a separate grant.

Low-cost microfluidic platforms have the potential to change accepted practices in many fields, including biology and medicine, in the near future. Micro-assembly of molded polymer microfluidic devices is one approach to cost-effective mass production of modular, microfluidic instruments. Polymer, passive alignment structures were used to precisely assemble molded polymer components to prevent infinitesimal motions and minimize the misalignment between assembled components and devices. The motion and constraint of the assemblies were analyzed using screw theory to identify combinations of passive alignment structures that would provide exact constraint of all degrees of freedom of the two mating parts without over-constraint. One option identified by kinematic analysis was a set of three v-groove and hemisphere-tipped pin joints, which are well known from precision engineering and suitable for microfabrication. To validate the passive alignment scheme, brass mold inserts containing alignment structures were micro-milled and used to hot emboss components in polycarbonate (PC). Dimensional and location variations of prototype alignment structures were measured to quantify the difference between the as-designed and actual dimensions and the locations of the alignment structures. The dimensional variation was 0.2–3% less than the designed dimensions and the location variation was 0.7% less. The alignment accuracy of an assembly was characterized by measuring the mismatch and vertical variation between molded alignment standards embossed on each pair of mating plates. With molded, polymer alignment structures the mean mismatch and mean vertical variation were as low as 13 ± 3 µm in the lateral plane along the x- and y-axes and −6 ± 15 µm with respect to the nominal value of 107 µm. This micro-assembly technology is applicable to the integration of all microsystems including the interconnection of microfluidic devices, the assembly of hybrid microsystems

The Carmel Fault is one of the major geological structures of northern Israel. It is the northwestern part of Carmel-Tirtza Fault System and a northwestern branch of the Dead Sea Fault. The Carmel Fault region is covered by a monitoring geodetic network consisting of 23 sites, which were measured four times between 1999 and 2010 by means of GPS. The site velocities can be estimated only if the datum of the network has not been changed between measurement epochs. The GPS vectors must be adjusted so that the datum will remain undisturbed throughout the measurement campaigns. Usually we assume that GPS vectors define the network datum components of orientation and scale. Fluctuations in the GPS orbits could affect the orientation and scale between monitoring campaigns and therefore, in this study, we assume that GPS vectors are not immune to changes in their datum content. An appropriate approach is taken to prevent the inclusion of these components in the adjustment of a 4D network. If not, the result will be an inevitable mixture between the deformation parameters and the datum components of the GPS vectors. In this study the GPS vectors from each campaign are stripped from their datum content using the extended free network adjustmentconstraints. The datumless measurements are used to define the datum by preliminary coordinates and linear constraints, which remain constant for all monitoring campaigns, as well as to define the position of the network points and their velocities. Later on, the variations across the network geometry can be modeled by means of a physical model.

Full Text Available The registration of long-strip, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS point clouds is a prerequisite for various engineering tasks, including tunnels, bridges, and roads. An artificial target-based registration method is proposed in this paper to automatically calculate registration parameters (i.e., rotation, translation of scanned pairs without initial estimations. The approach is based on the well-known Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC method and effectively searches the point cloud for corresponding returns from a system of artificial targets. In addition, Closed ConstraintAdjustment (CCA is integrated into the registration method to significantly reduce the accumulative error. Experimental results demonstrate the robustness and feasibility of the proposed approach. It is a promising approach to register automatically long strips with limited external control points with satisfactory precision.

In the prediction of active vibration isolation performance, control force requirements were ignored in previous work. This may limit the realization of theoretically predicted isolation performance if control force of large magnitude cannot be supplied by actuators. The behavior of a feed-forward active isolation system subjected to actuator output constraints is investigated. Distributed parameter models are developed to analyze the system response, and to produce a transfer matrix for the design of an integrated passive-active isolation system. Cost functions comprising a combination of the vibration transmission energy and the sum of the squared control forces are proposed. The example system considered is a rigid body connected to a simply supported plate via two passive-active isolation mounts. Vertical and transverse forces as well as a rotational moment are applied at the rigid body, and resonances excited in elastic mounts and the supporting plate are analyzed. The overall isolation performance is evaluated by numerical simulation. The simulation results are then compared with those obtained using unconstrained control strategies. In addition, the effects of waves in elastic mounts are analyzed. It is shown that the control strategies which rely on unconstrained actuator outputs may give substantial power transmission reductions over a wide frequency range, but also require large control force amplitudes to control excited vibration modes of the system. Expected power transmission reductions for modified control strategies that incorporate constrained actuator outputs are considerably less than typical reductions with unconstrained actuator outputs. In the frequency range in which rigid body modes are present, the control strategies can only achieve 5-10 dB power transmission reduction, when control forces are constrained to be the same order of the magnitude as the primary vertical force. The resonances of the elastic mounts result in a notable increase

shaft voltage, the common mode voltage, the conducted emissions, and the efficiency of the two systems are compared since they are major factors which affect the size of the passive components in the drives. Although the three-level inverter requires higher number of active components as compared to the......Adjustable speed drives are considered as workhorse of industry due to various applications in different kind of industries. According to a market survey, low voltage drives are most profitable in the drive industries. The drive consists of a machine and a converter, which processes grid power and...... converts into usable power for the machine. The converter consists of active and passive components. The size, weight, and volume of the drive are decided by the passive components since they typically contribute to 75% of the weight and volume of the drive. Most popular topology for the low voltage drive...

The multi-constrained robust fuzzy control problem is investigated in this paper for perturbed continuous-time nonlinear stochastic systems. The nonlinear system considered in this paper is represented by a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model with perturbations and state multiplicative noises. The multiple performance constraints considered in this paper include stability, passivity and individual state variance constraints. The Lyapunov stability theory is employed to derive sufficient conditions to achieve the above performance constraints. By solving these sufficient conditions, the contribution of this paper is to develop a parallel distributed compensation based robust fuzzy control approach to satisfy multiple performance constraints for perturbed nonlinear systems with multiplicative noises. At last, a numerical example for the control of perturbed inverted pendulum system is provided to illustrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed multi-constrained robust fuzzy control method. PMID:25281584

Non-linear loads such as variable speed drives constitute the bulky load of oil and gas industry power systems. They are widely used in driving induction and permanent magnet motors for variable speed applications. That is because variable speed drives provide high static and dynamic performance. Moreover, they are known of their high energy efficiency and high motion quality, and high starting torque. However, these non-linear loads are main sources of current and voltage harmonics and lower the quality of electric power system. In fact, it is the six-pulse and twelve-pulse diode and thyristor rectifiers that spoil the AC power line with the dominant harmonics (5th, 7th, 11th). They provide DC voltage to the inverter of the variable speed drives. Typical problems that arise from these harmonics are Harmonic resonances', harmonic losses, interference with electronic equipment, and line voltage distortion at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC). Thus, it is necessary to find efficient, reliable, and economical harmonic filters. The passive filters have definite advantage over active filters in terms of components count, cost and reliability. Reliability and maintenance is a serious issue in drilling rigs which are located in offshore and onshore with extreme operating conditions. Passive filters are tuned to eliminate a certain frequency and therefore there is a need to equip the system with more than one passive filter to eliminate all unwanted frequencies. An alternative solution is Wide Spectrum Harmonic passive filter. The wide spectrum harmonic filters are becoming increasingly popular in these applications and found to overcome some of the limitations of conventional tuned passive filter. The most important feature of wide spectrum harmonic passive filters is that only one capacitor is required to filter a wide range of harmonics. Wide spectrum filter is essentially a low-pass filter for the harmonic at fundamental frequency. It can also be considered as a

Full Text Available In the last two decades, the medical understanding of Cystic Fibrosis (CF has dramatically improved, however, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the psychological adjustment of families coping with CF. We examined the utility of the Social Cognitive Processing (SCP Model in understanding the interactions of parents and young people with CF. We also examined the relationship between social constraints, a key construct in the SCP model, sense of coherence (SOC and other psychological adjustment indicators for young people with CF. Participants comprised 49 individuals with CF, aged 16–25, recruited through state-based CF organisations in Australia. The results indicated that participant ratings of difficulties with communication (social constraints were positively associated with ratings of depression, anxiety, and stress and negatively related to ratings of positive affect and seeing life challenges as predictable, manageable and meaningful (SOC. Ratings of SOC were also positively related to ratings of positive affect and negatively related to ratings of depression, anxiety and stress. A significant mediating effect of SOC was also identified in the relationships between social constraints and positive affect and social constraints and stress. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Phenological studies have demonstrated changes in the timing of seasonal events across multiple taxonomic groups as the climate warms. Some northern European migrant bird populations, however, show little or no significant change in breeding phenology, resulting in synchrony with key food sources becoming mismatched. This phenological inertia has often been ascribed to migration constraints (i.e. arrival date at breeding grounds preventing earlier laying). This has been based primarily on research in The Netherlands and Germany where time between arrival and breeding is short (often as few as 9 days). Here, we test the arrival constraint hypothesis over a 15-year period for a U.K. pied flycatcher ( Ficedula hypoleuca) population where laying date is not constrained by arrival as the period between arrival and breeding is substantial and consistent (average 27 ± 4.57 days SD). Despite increasing spring temperatures and quantifiably stronger selection for early laying on the basis of number of offspring to fledge, we found no significant change in breeding phenology, in contrast with co-occurring resident blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus). We discuss possible non-migratory constraints on phenological adjustment, including limitations on plasticity, genetic constraints and competition, as well as the possibility of counter-selection pressures relating to adult survival, longevity or future reproductive success. We propose that such factors need to be considered in conjunction with the arrival constraint hypothesis.

The graphitised carbon solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbent Envi-Carb has been used to fabricate glass fibre filter- Envi-Carb "sandwich" disks for use as a passive sampler for acid herbicides. Passive sampler uptake of a suite of herbicides, including the phenoxyacetic acid herbicides 4-chloro-o-tolyloxyacetic acid (MCPA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid (Dicamba), was achieved without pH adjustment, demonstrating for the first time a suitable binding phase for passive sampling of acid herbicides at neutral pH. Passive sampling experiments with Duck River (Tasmania, Australia) water spiked at 0.5 μg L(-1) herbicide concentration over a 7 d deployment period showed that sampling rates in Duck River water decreased for seven out of eight herbicides, and in the cases of 3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid (Clopyralid) and Dicamba no accumulation of the herbicides occurred in the Envi-Carb over the deployment period. Sampling rates for 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid (Picloram), 2,4-D and MCPA decreased to approximately 30% of the sampling rates in ultrapure water, whilst sampling rates for 2-(4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-ylcarbamoylsulfamoyl) benzoic acid, methyl ester (Sulfometuron-methyl) and 3,5,6-Trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid (Triclopyr) were approximately 60% of the ultrapure water sampling rate. For methyl N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(methoxyacetyl)-D-alaninate (Metalaxyl-M) there was little variation in sampling rate between passive sampling experiments in ultrapure water and Duck River water. SPE experiments undertaken with Envi-Carb disks using ultrapure water and filtered and unfiltered Duck River water showed that not only is adsorption onto particulate matter in Duck River water responsible for a reduction in herbicide sampling rate, but interactions of herbicides with dissolved or colloidal matter (matter able to pass through a 0.2 μm membrane filter) also reduces the herbicide sampling

This paper proposes a decentralized, passivity-based cont rol design for power stations in a multi-terminal High Voltage Direct Current transmissi on system. The control algorithm is shown to asymptotically stabilize the closed-loop syste m when the voltage set points are appropriately selected. The analysis is carried out taking into account actual power, current and voltage saturations that affect power stations and, consequ ently, the control action. Numerical results illustrate t...

This paper presents a comparative study of the radiometric sensitivity and spatial resolution of three near-field (NF) passive screener systems: real aperture, 1-D synthetic aperture (SA), and 2-D SA radiometers are compared. The analytical expressions for the radiometric resolution, the number of required antennas, and the number of pixels in the image are derived taking into account the distortion produced by the NF geometry at nonboresight directions where the distortion is dominant. Based...

Recently, new GIA models have been developed for the Innuitian Ice Sheet and for the north-central portion of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (Simon, 2014; Simon et al., 2015). This new combined model, herein called Innu-Laur15, was developed from the ICE-5G model and load adjustments were made to improve the fit to relative sea-level observations and to GPS-constrained vertical crustal motion in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and around Hudson Bay. Here, the predictions of Innu-Laur15 are compared to observations and other GIA models over an extended region comprising much of North America east of the Rocky Mountains. GIA predictions are made using compressible Maxwell Earth models with gravitationally self-consistent ocean loading, changing coastlines, and ocean-water inundation where marine ice retreats or floats. For this study, GPS time series are the NA12 solution (Blewitt et al., 2013) downloaded from http://geodesy.unr.edu/NGLStationPages/GlobalStationList and fit with a linear trend, annual and semi-annual terms, and offsets as indicated by station logs and by inspection of the time series. For example, a comparison of GPS observations of vertical crustal motion from the NA12 solution at 360 sites gives root-mean-square (RMS) residuals of 3.2 mm/yr (null hypothesis), 1.8 mm/yr (Innu-Laur15), and 2.9 mm/yr (ICE-5G) for the VM5a Earth model. Preliminary comparisons with other Earth models give similar patterns where Innu-Laur15 provides a better fit than ICE-5G. Further adjustments to the Innu-Laur15 ice sheet history could improve the fit to GPS rates in other regions of North America.

Full Text Available We investigated whether attention could be modulated through the implicit learning of temporal information in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP task. Participants identified two target letters among numeral distractors. The stimulus-onset asynchrony immediately following the first target (SOA1 varied at three levels (70, 98, and 126 ms randomly between trials or fixed within blocks of trials. Practice over three consecutive days resulted in a continuous improvement in the identification rate for both targets and attenuation of the attentional blink (AB, a decrement in target (T2 identification when presented 200-400 ms after another target (T1. Blocked SOA1s led to a faster rate of improvement in RSVP performance and more target order reversals relative to random SOA1s, suggesting that the implicit learning of SOA1 positively affected performance. The results also reveal power law learning curves for individual target identification as well as the reduction in the AB decrement. These learning curves reflect the spontaneous emergence of skill through subtle attentional modulations rather than general attentional distribution. Together, the results indicate that implicit temporal learning could improve high level and rapid cognitive processing and highlights the sensitivity and adaptability of the attentional system to subtle constraints in stimulus timing.

In many agricultural catchments of Europe and North America, pesticides occur at generally low concentrations with significant temporal variation. This poses several challenges for both monitoring and understanding ecological risks/impacts of these chemicals. This study aimed to compare the performance of passive and spot sampling strategies given the constraints of typical regulatory monitoring. Nine pesticides were investigated in a river currently undergoing regulatory monitoring (River Ugie, Scotland). Within this regulatory framework, spot and passive sampling were undertaken to understand spatiotemporal occurrence, mass loads and ecological risks. All the target pesticides were detected in water by both sampling strategies. Chlorotoluron was observed to be the dominant pesticide by both spot (maximum: 111.8ng/l, mean: 9.35ng/l) and passive sampling (maximum: 39.24ng/l, mean: 4.76ng/l). The annual pesticide loads were estimated to be 2735g and 1837g based on the spot and passive sampling data, respectively. The spatiotemporal trend suggested that agricultural activities were the primary source of the compounds with variability in loads explained in large by timing of pesticide applications and rainfall. The risk assessment showed chlorotoluron and chlorpyrifos posed the highest ecological risks with 23% of the chlorotoluron spot samples and 36% of the chlorpyrifos passive samples resulting in a Risk Quotient greater than 0.1. This suggests that mitigation measures might need to be taken to reduce the input of pesticides into the river. The overall comparison of the two sampling strategies supported the hypothesis that passive sampling tends to integrate the contaminants over a period of exposure and allows quantification of contamination at low concentration. The results suggested that within a regulatory monitoring context passive sampling was more suitable for flux estimation and risk assessment of trace contaminants which cannot be diagnosed by spot

In comparison to gas and dust in star-forming galaxies at the peak epoch of galaxy assembly, which are presently the topic of intense study, little is known about the interstellar medium (ISM) of distant, passively evolving galaxies. We report on a deep 3 mm-band search with IRAM/PdBI for molecular gas in a massive ($M_{\\star}{\\sim}6{\\times}10^{11}M_{\\odot}$) elliptical galaxy at z=1.4277, the first observation of this kind ever attempted. We place a 3$\\sigma$ upper limit of 0.30 Jy km/s on the flux of the CO($J$=$2\\rightarrow$1) line or $L'_{\\rm CO}$$

The constraints of output variables, input variables and intermediate variables exist generally in chemical process control. The inconsistency in different constraints cannot make all of constraints satisfied, and optimal controller does not have feasible solutions, which adversely affects production. Based on convex polyhedron geometry, the feasibility analysis of constrained optimal control in chemical processes was transformed into whether two convex polyhedra intersect or not, and the reasonable constraintsadjustment was transformed into a series of linear programming or nonlinear programming when the constrained optimization problem was infeasible. An algorithm for feasibility analysis and automatic constraintsadjustment of constrained optimal control independent of user intervention was proposed. Simulation results of typical control problem of a heavy oil fractionator proposed by Royal Dutch/Shell Group showed that when the constrained optimization problem was infeasible the proposed algorithm could make constraintsadjustment automatically and effectively, with small overshoot, smooth change of control action, and a certain control overdesign.%在化工领域过程控制中,普遍存在着各种对输出变量、输入变量甚至中间变量的约束.不同约束条件之间的矛盾会造成约束条件无法全部满足,优化控制器无可行解,给实际生产造成负面影响.从凸体几何角度,将化工生产过程中约束优化控制的可行性判定转化为凸多面体是否相交的问题,将不可行时合理的约束处理方案转化为一系列线性规划或非线性规划问题,提出无需人为参与的自动进行约束优化控制可行性分析和约束调整的算法.Shell公司提供的重油分馏塔典型案例实验证明,该算法能够在约束优化控制不可行时自动有效地进行合理的约束调整,超调量小,控制作用变化平缓,且有一定控制裕量.

Many of the basic elements of passive solar design are reviewed. The unique design constraints presented in passive homes are introduced and many of the salient issues influencing design decisions are described briefly. Passive solar construction is described for each passive system type: direct gain, thermal storage wall, attached sunspace, thermal storage roof, and convective loop. For each system type, important design and construction issues are discussed and case studies illustrating designed and built examples of the system type are presented. Construction details are given and construction and thermal performance information is given for the materials used in collector components, storage components, and control components. Included are glazing materials, framing systems, caulking and sealants, concrete masonry, concrete, brick, shading, reflectors, and insulators. The Load Collector Ratio method for estimating passive system performance is appended, and other analysis methods are briefly summarized. (LEW)

The high-elevation passive margin of Southwest India is marked by the Western Ghats escarpment, which separates the coastal domain from the low-relief East-dipping Mysore plateau. The escarpment has evolved from the Seychelles rifting at ~ 63 Ma following the Deccan traps volcanic event at ~ 65-63 Ma. This escarpment results from differential erosion processes across the passive margin, the rate and timing of which depend upon whether the margin has evolved according to a model of downwarped or rising flank topography. We explore the post-rift evolution of the South Indian passive margin through the characterisation of stepped relicts of lateritic paleosurfaces across that margin, and notably by 40Ar-39Ar dating of in-situ formed K-Mn oxides in supergene Mn-ore deposits carried by these paleosurfaces. The genesis and maturation of Mn-ore deposits are generally linked to progressive weathering processes of the paleosurfaces, which expose them. Dating of K-Mn oxides thus document the timing of these processes [1], and potentially the ages of the altered paleosurface. Moreover, the elevation differences between successive lateritic paleosurfaces of different ages may provide denudation rates for the considered time spans. Previous work (e.g., [2]) and our own field investigations, allow identifying three main lateritic paleosurfaces on the plateau at altitude ranges of 1000-900 m (S2), 900-800 m (S3) and 800-700 m (S3d), and a lower paleosurface in the coastal domain at 150-50 m (S4). K-Mn oxides (cryptomelane) were sampled in Mn ore deposits from different paleosurfaces, particularly in the coastal area around Goa on S4 and in Sandur and Shimoga Mn-ore deposits exposed on S2 and S3. The 40Ar-39Ar ages obtained from carefully characterised mineralogical assemblages range from ~ 26 to ~ 36 Ma in the Sandur Mn-ore deposit indicating intense lateritic weathering processes at the Eocene-Oligocene transition underneath paleosurface S2. Similar ages of ~ 24 and ~ 32 Ma are

In this paper, adjustment factors J and R put forward by professor Zhou Jiangwen are introduced and the nature of the adjustment factors and their role in evaluating adjustment structure is discussed and proved.

Investment in most heavily indebted countries has been weak since 1982. Several papers (Krugman, 1988; Corden, 1988; Sachs, 1989) have subsequently established the debt overhang proposition: the existence of a heavy debt burden reduces the incentive to invest.1 This proposition has given an important rationale for the 1989 shift in international debt management, emphasizing debt relief rather than new money for problem debtors. This paper will raise doubts against the debt overhang propositio...

A convexity adjustment (or convexity correction) in fixed income markets arises when one uses prices of standard (plain vanilla) products plus an adjustment to price nonstandard products. We explain the basic and appealing idea behind the use of convexity adjustments and focus on the situations o...

We introduce constraint differentiation, a powerful technique for reducing search when model-checking security protocols using constraint-based methods. Constraint differentiation works by eliminating certain kinds of redundancies that arise in the search space when using constraints to represent...... experimentation. Our results show that constraint differentiation substantially reduces search and considerably improves the performance of OFMC, enabling its application to a wider class of problems....

In accordance with decisions taken by the Finance Committee and Council in December 2007, salaries are adjusted with effect from 1 January 2008. Scale of basic salaries and scale of stipends paid to fellows (Annex R A 5 and R A 6 respectively): increased by 0.71% with effect from 1 January 2008. As a result of the stability of the Geneva consumer price index, the following elements do not increase: a)\tFamily Allowance, Child Allowance and Infant Allowance (Annex R A 3); b)\tReimbursement of education fees: maximum amounts of reimbursement (Annex R A 4.01) for the academic year 2007/2008. Related adjustments will be applied, wherever applicable, to Paid Associates and Students. As in the past, the actual percentage increase of each salary position may vary, due to the application of a constant step value and rounding effects. Human Resources Department Tel. 73566

In accordance with decisions taken by the Finance Committee and Council in December 2007, salaries are adjusted with effect from 1 January 2008. Scale of basic salaries and scale of stipends paid to fellows (Annex R A 5 and R A 6 respectively): increased by 0.71% with effect from 1 January 2008. As a result of the stability of the Geneva consumer price index, following elements do not increase: a) Family Allowance, Child Allowance and Infant Allowance (Annex R A 3). b) Reimbursement of education fees: maximum amounts of reimbursement (Annex R A 4.01) for the academic year 2007/2008. Related adjustments will be implemented, wherever applicable, to Paid Associates and Students. As in the past, the actual percentage increase of each salary position may vary, due to the application of a constant step value and the rounding effects. Human Resources Department Tel. 73566

In a rotating fan beam tomographic scanner there is included an adjustable collimator and shutter assembly. The assembly includes a fan angle collimation cylinder having a plurality of different length slots through which the beam may pass for adjusting the fan angle of the beam. It also includes a beam thickness cylinder having a plurality of slots of different widths for adjusting the thickness of the beam. Further, some of the slots have filter materials mounted therein so that the operator may select from a plurality of filters. Also disclosed is a servo motor system which allows the operator to select the desired fan angle, beam thickness and filter from a remote location. An additional feature is a failsafe shutter assembly which includes a spring biased shutter cylinder mounted in the collimation cylinders. The servo motor control circuit checks several system conditions before the shutter is rendered openable. Further, the circuit cuts off the radiation if the shutter fails to open or close properly. A still further feature is a reference radiation intensity monitor which includes a tuning-fork shaped light conducting element having a scintillation crystal mounted on each tine. The monitor is placed adjacent the collimator between it and the source with the pair of crystals to either side of the fan beam

The main ambition of "Constitutional Constraints" is to open up the subject of constitutional constraints on government officials, including Presidents and Supreme Court Justices, as a topic for discussion within the field of Constitutional Theory. The subject has so far received little comprehensive discussion in the law reviews, in part because of a division between scholarly approaches that treat constitutional law as a system of norms and political scientific theories that portray judges ...

The present status of passive solar technology is summarized, including passive solar heating, cooling and daylighting. The key roles of the passive solar system designer and of innovation in the building industry are described. After definitions of passive design and a summary of passive design principles are given, performance and costs of passive solar technology are discussed. Passive energy design concepts or methods are then considered in the context of the overall process by which building decisions are made to achieve the integration of new techniques into conventional design. (LEW).

A new type of velocity adjustable tuned mass damper (TMD) consisting of impulse generators and clutches is presented. The force impulse is generated by a joining operation of electromagnets and springs and MR dampers are used as clutches. Rules for velocity adjustment are established according to the working mechanism of TMD. The analysis program is developed on a VB platform. Seismic response of SDOF structures with both passive TMD and velocity adjustable TMD are analyzed. The results show that (1) the control effectiveness of passive TMDs is usually unstable; (2) the control effectiveness of the proposed semi-active TMDs is much better than passive TMDs under typical seismic ground motions; and (3) unlike the passive TMD system, the proposed velocity adjustable TMDs exhibit good control effectiveness even when the primary structure performance becomes inelastic during severe earthquakes.

In this paper, we propose a hybrid postural control approach taking advantage of data-driven and goal-oriented methods while overcoming their limitations. In particular, we take advantage of the latent space characterizing a given motion database. We introduce a motion constraint operating in the latent space to benefit from its much smaller dimension compared to the joint space. This allows its transparent integration into a Prioritized Inverse Kinematics framework. If its priority is high t...

The economic feasibility of passive solar for space heating is examined. The key finding is that from the standpoint of society the costs of substitutes have been badly understated. The major source of error is valuing at average rather than replacement costs, using steady state furnace efficiencies, and failing to adjust for government subsidies in the production of fossil fuels. This provides a basis for explaining the failure of the market and individual choice. The issue of corrective policy is explained briefly from the standpoint of efficiency and ethical criteria.

A physiotherapeutic mechanism was designed to be portable and adjustable, without limiting the spherical motion and workspace of the human arm. The exoskeleton was designed to be portable in the sense that it could be transported geographically. It is a complete device allowing for motion in the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand joints. The inverse kinematics was solved iteratively via the Damped Least Squares (DLS method. The electronic and computer system allowed for professional personnel to either change an individual joint or a combination of joints angles via the kinematic models. A ramp PI controller was established to provide a smooth response to simulate the passive therapy motion.

The programming language of Constraint Handling Rules (CHR) is gaining more and more popularity and this has motivated the development of new optimization techniques to be applied in implementations of CHR. As for other logic programming languages, a program written CHR can be understood......, we can give different classifications of the effect of some passive declarations that do not affect the logical semantics. This may be used for reasoning about manual optimizations as well as proposals for automatic strategies to be applied by a compiler for adding passive declarations....

Because the appearance of the passive construction varies cross linguistically, differences exist in the interlanguage (IL) passives attempted by learners of English. One such difference is the widely studied IL pseudo passive, as in "*new cars must keep inside" produced by Chinese speakers. The belief that this is a reflection of L1 language…

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Motivated by recent experimental measurements, the passive diffusion of the bacterium Leptospira interrogans is investigated theoretically. By approximating the cell shape as a straight helix and using the slender-body-theory approximation of Stokesian hydrodynamics, the resistance matrix of Leptospira is first determined numerically. The passive diffusion of the helical cell is then obtained computationally using a Langevin formulation which is sampled in time in a manner consistent with the experimental procedure. Our results are in excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental results with no adjustable parameters. (paper)

Motivated by recent experimental measurements, the passive diffusion of the bacterium Leptospira interrogans is investigated theoretically. By approximating the cell shape as a straight helix and using the slender-body-theory approximation of Stokesian hydrodynamics, the resistance matrix of Leptospira is first determined numerically. The passive diffusion of the helical cell is then obtained computationally using a Langevin formulation which is sampled in time in a manner consistent with the experimental procedure. Our results are in excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental results with no adjustable parameters.

Motivated by recent experimental measurements, the passive diffusion of the bacterium \\textit{Leptospira interrogans} is investigated theoretically. By approximating the cell shape as a straight helix and using the slender-body-theory approximation of Stokesian hydrodynamics, the resistance matrix of \\textit{Leptospira} is first determined numerically. The passive diffusion of the helical cell is then obtained computationally using a Langevin formulation which is sampled in time in a manner consistent with the experimental procedure. Our results are in excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental results with no adjustable parameters.

A journal bearing provides vertical and radial stability to a rotor of a passive magnetic bearing system when the rotor is not rotating and when it is rotating. In the passive magnetic bearing system, the rotor has a vertical axis of rotation. Without the journal bearing, the rotor is vertically and radially unstable when stationary, and is vertically stable and radially unstable when rotating.

This "designers' manual" is made during the TIDO-course AR0531 Smart & Bioclimatic Design. Passive techniques for cooling are a great way to cope with the energy problem of the present day. This manual introduces passive cooling by evaporation. These methods have been used for many years in traditi

Full Text Available Adjustable compliance or variable stiffness actuators comprise an additional element to elastically decouple the actuator from the load and are increasingly applied to human-centered robotic systems. The advantages of such actuators are of paramount importance in rehabilitation robotics, where requirements demand safe interaction between the therapy system and the patient. Compliant actuator systems enable the minimization of large contact forces arising, for example, from muscular spasticity and have the ability to periodically store and release energy in cyclic movements. In order to overcome the loss of bandwidth introduced by the elastic element and to guarantee a higher range in force/torque generation, new actuator designs consider variable or nonlinear stiffness elements, respectively. These components cannot only be adapted to the walking speed or the patient condition, but also entail additional challenges for feedback control. This paper introduces a novel design method for an impedance-based controller that fulfills the control objectives and compares the performance and robustness to a classical cascaded control approach. The new procedure is developed using a non-standard positive-real Η2 controller design and is applied to a loop-shaping approach. Robust norm optimal controllers are designed with regard to the passivity of the actuator load-impedance transfer function and the servo control problem. Classical cascaded and positive-real Η2 controller designs are validated and compared in simulations and in a test bench using a passive elastic element of varying stiffness.

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Department of Housing and Urban Development — The Department of Housing and Urban Development establishes the rent adjustment factors - called Annual Adjustment Factors (AAFs) - on the basis of Consumer Price...

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This paper shows that portfolio constraints have important implications for management compensation and performance evaluation. In particular, in the presence of portfolio constraints, allowing for benchmarking can be bene cial. Benchmark design arises as an alternative effort inducement mechanism vis-a-vis relaxing portfolio constraints. Numerically, we solve jointly for the manager's linear incentive fee and the optimal benchmark. The size of the incentive fee and the risk adjustment...

CANDU incorporates two diverse, passive shutdown systems (Shutdown System No. 1 and Shutdown System No. 2) which are independent of each other and from the reactor regulating system. Both shutdown systems function in the low pressure, low temperature, moderator which surrounds the fuel channels; the shutdown systems do not penetrate the heat transport system pressure boundary. The shutdown systems are functionally different, physically separate, and passive since the driving force for SDS1 is gravity and the driving force for SDS2 is stored energy. The physics of the reactor core itself ensures a degree of passive safety in that the relatively long prompt neutron generation time inherent in the design of CANDU reactors tend to retard power excursions and reduces the speed required for shutdown action, even for large postulated reactivity increases. All passive systems include a number of active components or initiators. Hence, an important aspect of passive systems is the inclusion of fail safe (activated by active component failure) operation. The mechanisms that achieve the fail safe action should be passive. Consequently the passive performance of the CANDU shutdown systems extends beyond their basic modes of operation to include fail safe operation based on natural phenomenon or stored energy. For example, loss of power to the SDS1 clutches results in the drop of the shutdown rods by gravity, loss of power or instrument air to the injection valves of SDS2 results in valve opening via spring action, and rigorous self checking of logic, data and timing by the shutdown systems computers assures a fail safe reactor trip through the collapse of a fluctuating magnetic field or the discharge of a capacitor. Event statistics from operating CANDU stations indicate a significant decrease in protection system faults that could lead to loss of production and elimination of protection system faults that could lead to loss of protection. This paper provides a comprehensive

The DoubleFace project aims at developing a new product that passively improves thermal comfort of indoor and semi-indoor spaces by means of lightweight materials for latent heat storage, while simultaneously allowing daylight to pass through as much as possible. Specifically, the project aims at designing and prototyping an adjustable translucent modular system featuring thermal insulation and thermal absorption in a calibrated manner, which is adjustable according to different heat loads du...

This research report presents an extension of Cumulative of Choco constraint solver, which is useful to encode over-constrained cumulative problems. This new global constraint uses sweep and task interval violation-based algorithms.

PEP stands for 'Promotion of European Passive Houses' and is a consortium of European partners, supported by the European Commission, Directorate General for Energy and Transport. In this working paper an overview is given of Passive House solutions. An inventory has been made of Passive House solutions for new build residences applied in each country. Based on this, the most common basic solutions have been identified and described in further detail, including the extent to which solutions are applied in common and best practice and expected barriers for the implementation in each country. An inventory per country is included in the appendix. The analysis of Passive House solutions in partner countries shows high priority with regard to the performance of the thermal envelope, such as high insulation of walls, roofs, floors and windows/ doors, thermal bridge-free construction and air tightness. Due to the required air tightness, special attention must be paid to indoor air quality through proper ventilation. Finally, efficient ((semi-)solar) heating systems for combined space and DHW heating still require a significant amount of attention in most partner countries. Other basic Passive House solutions show a smaller discrepancy with common practice and fewer barriers have been encountered in partner countries. In the next section, the general barriers in partner countries have been inventoried. For each type of barrier a suggested approach has been given. Most frequently encountered barriers in partner countries are: limited know-how; limited contractor skills; and acceptation of Passive Houses in the market. Based on the suggested approaches to overcoming barriers, this means that a great deal of attention must be paid to providing practical information and solutions to building professionals, providing practical training to installers and contractors and communication about the Passive House concept to the market.

Full Text Available Expatriation is a widely studied area of research in work and organizational psychology. After expatriates accomplish their missions in host countries, they return to their countries and this process is called repatriation. Adjustment constitutes a crucial part in repatriation research. In the present literature review, research about repatriation adjustment was reviewed with the aim of defining the whole picture in this phenomenon. Present research was classified on the basis of a theoretical model of repatriation adjustment. Basic frame consisted of antecedents, adjustment, outcomes as main variables and personal characteristics/coping strategies and organizational strategies as moderating variables.

Full Text Available Conventional adaptive expectation as a mechanism of stabilizing an unstable economic process is reexamined through a generalization to an adaptive adjustment framework. The generic structures of equilibria that can be stabilized through an adaptive adjustment mechanism are identified. The generalization can be applied to a broad class of discrete economic processes where the variables interested can be adjusted or controlled directly by economic agents such as in cobweb dynamics, Cournot games, Oligopoly markets, tatonnement price adjustment, tariff games, population control through immigration etc.

This document addresses the use of passive vents as a source of outdoor air in multifamily buildings. The challenges associated with implementing passive vents and the factors affecting performance are outlined. A comprehensive design methodology and quantified performance metrics are provided. Two hypothetical design examples are provided to illustrate the process. This document is intended to be useful to designers, decision-makers, and contractors implementing passive ventilation strategies. It is also intended to be a resource for those responsible for setting high-performance building program requirements, especially pertaining to ventilation and outdoor air. To ensure good indoor air quality, a dedicated source of outdoor air is an integral part of high-performance buildings. Presently, there is a lack of guidance pertaining to the design and installation of passive vents, resulting in poor system performance. This report details the criteria necessary for designing, constructing, and testing passive vent systems to enable them to provide consistent and reliable levels of ventilation air from outdoors.

A flexible rotor concept, called the balanced pitch rotor, is described. The system provides passiveadjustment of cyclic pitch in response to unbalanced pitching moments across the rotor disk. Various applications are described and performance predictions are made for wind shear and cross wind operating conditions. Comparisons with the teetered hub are made and significant cost savings are predicted.

An adjustable microchip holder for holding a microchip is provided having a plurality of displaceable interconnection pads for connecting the connection holes of a microchip with one or more external devices or equipment. The adjustable microchip holder can fit different sizes of microchips with ...

A novel measurement technique is employed using surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, passive RF, and radiation-sensitive films to provide a wireless passive radiation sensor that requires no batteries, outside wiring, or regular maintenance. The sensor is small (<1 cm.sup.2), physically robust, and will operate unattended for decades. In addition, the sensor can be insensitive to measurement position and read distance due to a novel self-referencing technique eliminating the need to measure absolute responses that are dependent on RF transmitter location and power.

Disclosed is a containment system that provides complete protection entirely by passive means for the loss of coolant accident in a nuclear power plant and wherein all stored energy released in the coolant blowdown is contained and absorbed while the nuclear fuel is prevented from over-heating by a high containment back-pressure and a reactor vessel refill system. The primary containment vessel is restored to a high sub-atmospheric pressure within a few minutes after accident initiation and the decay heat is safely transferred to the environment while radiolytic hydrogen is contained by passive means. 20 claims, 14 figures

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the novel efficient passive micromixers conceptual design using the flexible layout optimization method. Utilizing the layout optimization method when designing passive micromixers results in decreased reliance on the experience and intuition of designers. The detailed layout of passive micromixers is obtained by solving a variational optimization problem, in which the manufacturability and periodicity of passive micromixers can be considered by adding the corresponding design constraints. The obtained micromixers are fabricated by using polydimethylsiloxane soft photolithography techniques. The mixing performance is evaluated by stereoscopic and confocal microscopes. The effectiveness of the layout optimization method is confirmed by a comparison of the numerical and experimental results. (paper)

The results are presented of a study initiated to evaluate the star tracker axis-to-sunlit earth horizon angle constraint with respect to limitations imposed on the passive target rendezvous capability. The data presented include considerations for dispersions and sensor pointing capabilities and generalizations with respect to the uncertainties associated with the angle constraint available in practice.

This paper studies the interaction between the notions of passivity of systems theory and complementarity of mathematical programming in the context of complementarity systems. These systems consist of a dynamical system (given in the form of state space representation) and complementarity relations

The paper analyzes the introduction of passive houses in the Norwegian house market. Passive houses are houses with extremely low levels of energy consumption for heating, and have not yet been built in Norway, but have started to enter the market in Germany and some other countries. The construction sector is analyzed as a sectoral innovation system. The different elements of the innovation system are studied. This includes government agencies, producers, consumers, finance and education. The analysis shows that passive and low-energy houses are on the verge of market breakthrough. This can partly be explained by economic calculations, and partly by processes of learning and change in the institutional set-up of the sector. The construction sector is a sector characterized by low innovative intensity and little interaction between different agents. Those working to promote passive houses have to some extent managed to cope with these challenges. This has happened by breaking away from the traditional focus of Norwegian energy efficiency policies on technology and the economically rational agents, by instead focusing on knowledge and institutional change at the level of the producers. (Author)

In this work we present our activities in the fabrication and characterization of passive THz metamaterials. We use two fabrication processes to develop metamaterials either as free-standing metallic membranes or patterned metallic multi-layers on the substrates to achieve different functionalities...

The Hood River Passive Project was developed by Root Design Build of Hood River Oregon using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) to meet all of the requirements for certification under the European Passive House standards. The Passive House design approach has been gaining momentum among residential designers for custom homes and BEopt modeling indicates that these designs may actually exceed the goal of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building America program to "reduce home energy use by 30%-50% (compared to 2009 energy codes for new homes). This report documents the short term test results of the Shift House and compares the results of PHPP and BEopt modeling of the project. The design includes high R-Value assemblies, extremely tight construction, high performance doors and windows, solar thermal DHW, heat recovery ventilation, moveable external shutters and a high performance ductless mini-split heat pump. Cost analysis indicates that many of the measures implemented in this project did not meet the BA standard for cost neutrality. The ductless mini-split heat pump, lighting and advanced air leakage control were the most cost effective measures. The future challenge will be to value engineer the performance levels indicated here in modeling using production based practices at a significantly lower cost.

A passive neutron dosemeter was designed to be used in mixed radiation fields. The design was carried out using Monte Carlo method. The dosemeter model was a 25.4 cm-diameter polyethylene sphere with a thermoluminescent dosemeter, TLD600, located at the sphere center. This model was irradiated with 50 monoenergetic neutron sources with energies from 10-8 to 20 MeV. A 506.71 cm2-area disk was used to model the source term whose center was located at 100 cm from polyethylene sphere's center. The dosemeter response was compared with the responses of SNOOPY, Harwell 95/0075 and PNR-4. With these responses it was calculated the dosemeter responses for 252Cf, 252Cf/D2O and 239PuBe neutron sources. The passive dosemeter relative response has the same shape of SNOOPY, Harwell 95/0075 and PNR-4 dosemeters. Due to the type of thermal neutron detector used in the passive dosemeter the absolute response per unit fluence, is lower than the absolute response of SNOOPY, Harwell 95/0075 and PNR-4 dosemeters. However the passive dosemeter response in function of the average neutron energy of the 252Cf, 252Cf/D2O and 239PuBe neutron energy was more linear

The Hood River Passive Project was developed by Root Design Build of Hood River Oregon using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) to meet all of the requirements for certification under the European Passive House standards. The Passive House design approach has been gaining momentum among residential designers for custom homes and BEopt modeling indicates that these designs may actually exceed the goal of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building America program to reduce home energy use by 30%-50% (compared to 2009 energy codes for new homes). This report documents the short term test results of the Shift House and compares the results of PHPP and BEopt modeling of the project. The design includes high R-Value assemblies, extremely tight construction, high performance doors and windows, solar thermal DHW, heat recovery ventilation, moveable external shutters and a high performance ductless mini-split heat pump. Cost analysis indicates that many of the measures implemented in this project did not meet the BA standard for cost neutrality. The ductless mini-split heat pump, lighting and advanced air leakage control were the most cost effective measures. The future challenge will be to value engineer the performance levels indicated here in modeling using production based practices at a significantly lower cost.

The system of non-cooperative passive location based on array is proposed. In the system, target is detected by beamforming and Doppler matched filtering; and bearing is measured by a long-base-ling interferometer which is composed of long distance sub-arrays. For the interferometer with long-base-line, the bearing is measured accurately but ambiguously. To realize unambiguous accurately bearing measurement, beam width and multiple constraint adoptive beamforming technique is used to resolve azimuth ambiguous. Theory and simulation result shows this method is effective to realize accurately bearing measurement in no-cooperate passive location system. (authors)

This short note aims to present foundations for constraint logic programming. By logic programming, we understand in this paper the PROLOG paradigm. But it will be clear that we do reduce the problem to adding a new package to PROLOG. We argue that constraint logic programming should be defined as a new paradigm for programming: the LOGIC PROGRAMMING + SYMBOLIC COMPUTATION paradigm. Our system incorporates as a very basic, all the existing systems incorporating constraints i...

Some linguistic constraints cannot be effectively resolved during parsing at the location in which they are most naturally introduced. This paper shows how constraints can be propagated in a memoizing parser (such as a chart parser) in much the same way that variable bindings are, providing a general treatment of constraint coroutining in memoization. Prolog code for a simple application of our technique to Bouma and van Noord's (1994) categorial grammar analysis of Dutch is provided.

Some constraints on functions from sets and relations to sets are studied. Such constraints are satisﬁed by anaphoric functions, that is functions denoted by anaphoric determiners. These constraints are generalisations of anaphor conditions known from the study of simpler cases of nominal anaphors. In addition a generalisation of the notion of conservativity as applied to anaphoric functions is proposed. Two classes of anaphoric determiners found in NLs are discussed as examples.

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This paper examines the speed of the occupational adjustment of immigrants using Labour Force Surveys 2004 and 2005 from Statistics Netherlands. The analysis provides new evidence that immigrants start with jobs at the lower levels of skill distribution. Their occupational achievement improves significantly with the duration of residence. The extent of this initial disadvantage and the rate of adjustment vary across immigrant groups according to the transferability of skills associated with t...

Credit (CVA), Debit (DVA) and Funding Valuation Adjustments (FVA) are now familiar valuation adjustments made to the value of a portfolio of derivatives to account for credit risks and funding costs. However, recent changes in the regulatory regime and the increases in regulatory capital requirements has led many banks to include the cost of capital in derivative pricing. This paper formalises the addition of cost of capital by extending the Burgard-Kjaer (2013) semi-replication approach to C...

The problem of maintaining balance between consumption and production of electric energy in the presence of a high share of intermittent power sources in a transmission grid is addressed. A distributed, asynchronous optimization algorithm, based on the ideas of cutting-plane approximations and adjustable robust counterparts, is presented to compute economically optimal adjustable dispatch strategies. These strategies guarantee satisfaction of the power balancing constraint as well as of the o...

Danish passive utterance and cognitive verbs allow a construction where the subject of an infinitival complement is raised: Peter siges at være bortrejst (‘Peter is said to be out of town’). Contrary to English, these verbs are not ECM-verbs or subject-to-object raising verbs in the active. The...... subject of the passive can never be construed as an object. These raising passives are termed Reportive Passives since they attribute a proposition to an (unknown) information source. Some analyses treat these passives as special constructions with an idiosyncratic semantics or even as grammaticalized...... evidentiality markers. I argue that they are fully compositional passives in Danish, but that they are non-canonical inasmuch as they raise an argument of an embedded predicate. I provide an account within the framework of Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar and I suggest that such passives are motivated in...

A niobium cavity exhibiting high quality factors at high gradients is provided by treating a niobium cavity through a process comprising: 1) removing surface oxides by plasma etching or a similar process; 2) removing hydrogen or other gases absorbed in the bulk niobium by high temperature treatment of the cavity under ultra high vacuum to achieve hydrogen outgassing; and 3) assuring the long term chemical stability of the niobium cavity by applying a passivating layer of a superconducting material having a superconducting transition temperature higher than niobium thereby reducing losses from electron (cooper pair) scattering in the near surface region of the interior of the niobium cavity. According to a preferred embodiment, the passivating layer comprises niobium nitride (NbN) applied by reactive sputtering.

We review studies of the impact of credit constraints on the accumulation of human capital. Evidence suggests that credit constraints have recently become important for schooling and other aspects of households' behavior. We highlight the importance of early childhood investments, as their response largely determines the impact of credit…

Constraints are characteristics of the individual, the task, or the environment that mold and shape movement choices and performances. Constraints can be positive--encouraging proficient movements or negative--discouraging movement or promoting ineffective movements. Physical educators must analyze, evaluate, and determine the effect various…

In this paper we describe a solution to the problem of implementing time-optimal evaluation of timing constraints in distributed real-time systems.......In this paper we describe a solution to the problem of implementing time-optimal evaluation of timing constraints in distributed real-time systems....

This paper discusses an approach to representing and reasoning about constraints over strings. We discuss how many string domains can often be concisely represented using regular languages, and how constraints over strings, and domain operations on sets of strings, can be carried out using this representation.

This paper presents a class of sentences that certain syntactic rules of English would be expected to produce, but that are not grammatical. The sentences all involve the raising of a sentential Noun Phrase (NP) and the subsequent application of some syntactic rule to that senential NP. A constraint, referred to as the Antigone Constraint, is…

The ntcc calculus is a model of non-deterministic temporal concurrent constraint programming. In this paper we study behavioral notions for this calculus. In the underlying computational model, concurrent constraint processes are executed in discrete time intervals. The behavioral notions studied...

The principle of communication of passive RFID, which relies on the Modulated Scattering Technique (MST) to transmit the information from the tag to the reader, opens a way to enable conventional RFID for sensing purposes, without any additional circuitry. In this paper a short description of the physical principle behind the sensing is presented along with measurements of RFID tags used for sensing in multiple applications, such as electromagnetic field measurement temperature or presence de...

Intercambios internacionales. Jade Hochschule Oldenburg. Alemania. Passive houses are buildings that use resources architecture bioclimatic energy with an efficiency much higher than traditional construction. Buildings are designed to maximize light and heat received from this source of energy, resulting a temperature and humidity comfort, fit and healthy. There are healthy environments at any time of year, without further heat production. Basically, to make this possible, the isolation of...

In this article, we introduce a generalization of the diffusive motion of point-particles in a turbulent convective flow with given correlations to a polymer or membrane. In analogy to the passive scalar problem we call this the passive polymer or membrane problem. We shall focus on the expansion about the marginal limit of velocity-velocity correlations which are uncorrelated in time and grow with the distance x as |x|^epsilon, and epsilon small. This relation gets modified for polymers and membranes (the marginal advecting flow has correlations which are shorter ranged.) The construction is done in three steps: First, we reconsider the treatment of the passive scalar problem using the most convenient treatment via field theory and renormalization group. We explicitly show why IR-divergences and thus the system-size appear in physical observables. In a second step, we reformulate the problem in terms of a Langevin equation. This is not only interesting in its own, but also gives an efficient algorithm to det...

The absence of a policy for long-term management of either intermediate- or high-level waste has led to increased emphasis by both regulators and waste producers on long-term storage in regimes in which the need for human intervention is minimised. The concepts of 'passivity' of waste and its 'passive storage' have been much discussed, and their attributes defined. However, there has been a tendency to take 'passive' as an absolute, which it simply cannot be. This paper discusses passivity and passive storage, suggests definitions for relevant terms, and makes a case for a semi-quantitative index to measure the level of passivity represented by a given waste inventory. It also suggests that such an index would prove a valuable tool for judging the progress of waste treatment and decommissioning programmes. Further, increasing passivity may well reduce security concerns, and a preliminary discussion of this concept is presented. (author)

A passive mechanical regulator has been developed for the control of fuel or oxidizer flow to a 450N class bipropellant engine for use on commercial and interplanetary spacecraft. There are several potential benefits to the propulsion system, depending on mission requirements and spacecraft design. This system design enables more precise control of main engine mixture ratio and inlet pressure, and simplifies the pressurization system by transferring the function of main engine flow rate control from the pressurization/propellant tank assemblies, to a single component, the ALR. This design can also reduce the thermal control requirements on the propellant tanks, avoid costly Qualification testing of biprop engines for missions with more stringent requirements, and reduce the overall propulsion system mass and power usage. In order to realize these benefits, the ALR must meet stringent design requirements. The main advantage of this regulator over other units available in the market is that it can regulate about its nominal set point to within +/-0.85%, and change its regulation set point in flight +/-4% about that nominal point. The set point change is handled actively via a stepper motor driven actuator, which converts rotary into linear motion to affect the spring preload acting on the regulator. Once adjusted to a particular set point, the actuator remains in its final position unpowered, and the regulator passively maintains outlet pressure. The very precise outlet regulation pressure is possible due to new technology developed by Moog, Inc. which reduces typical regulator mechanical hysteresis to near zero. The ALR requirements specified an outlet pressure set point range from 225 to 255 psi, and equivalent water flow rates required were in the 0.17 lb/sec range. The regulation output pressure is maintained at +/-2 psi about the set point from a P (delta or differential pressure) of 20 to over 100 psid. Maximum upstream system pressure was specified at 320 psi

Bessiere et al. (AAAI'08) showed that several intractable global constraints can be efficiently propagated when certain natural problem parameters are small. In particular, the complete propagation of a global constraint is fixed-parameter tractable in k - the number of holes in domains - whenever bound consistency can be enforced in polynomial time; this applies to the global constraints AtMost-NValue and Extended Global Cardinality (EGC). In this paper we extend this line of research and introduce the concept of reduction to a problem kernel, a key concept of parameterized complexity, to the field of global constraints. In particular, we show that the consistency problem for AtMost-NValue constraints admits a linear time reduction to an equivalent instance on O(k^2) variables and domain values. This small kernel can be used to speed up the complete propagation of NValue constraints. We contrast this result by showing that the consistency problem for EGC constraints does not admit a reduction to a polynomial...

Full Text Available Iterative imperative programs can be considered as infinite-state systems computing over possibly unbounded domains. Studying reachability in these systems is challenging as it requires to deal with an infinite number of states with standard backward or forward exploration strategies. An approach that we call Constraint-based reachability, is proposed to address reachability problems by exploring program states using a constraint model of the whole program. The keypoint of the approach is to interpret imperative constructions such as conditionals, loops, array and memory manipulations with the fundamental notion of constraint over a computational domain. By combining constraint filtering and abstraction techniques, Constraint-based reachability is able to solve reachability problems which are usually outside the scope of backward or forward exploration strategies. This paper proposes an interpretation of classical filtering consistencies used in Constraint Programming as abstract domain computations, and shows how this approach can be used to produce a constraint solver that efficiently generates solutions for reachability problems that are unsolvable by other approaches.

The endogenous agency that urban governments increasingly portray by making conscious and planned efforts to adjust the regimes they operate within is currently not well captured in transition studies. There is a need to acknowledge the ambiguity of regime enactment at the urban scale. This direc...

Astronomical telescope is powerful and basic tool for star or celestial observation. Here we proposed integrated system using Raspberry Pi for auto adjusting astronomical telescope. This integrated circuit helps to control stellar monitoring, stellar targeting, and tracking functions of telescope. Astro compass gives the direction of the celestial objects.

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Full Text Available Astronomical telescope is powerful and basic tool for star or celestial observation. Here we proposed integrated system using Raspberry Pi for auto adjusting astronomical telescope. This integrated circuit helps to control stellar monitoring, stellar targeting, and tracking functions of telescope. Astro compass gives the direction of the celestial objects.

We construct a constraint algorithm for singular Lagrangian systems subjected to nonholonomic constraints which generalizes that of Dirac for constrained Hamiltonian systems. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

The purpose of this report is to provide technical support for the physically-based source term which is proposed as the licensing design basis fission product release from a major core accident for the Passive Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) in Volume 3, Section 5 of the ALWR Requirements Document. A substantial body of new research motivated by the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident is maturing, and the ALWR Requirements Document provides an opportunity to incorporate this experience in an updated source term. This update will provide a more rational basis for Passive ALWR accident mitigation system designs, particularly where the designs afford opportunities for improvement and innovation. Great attention has been paid to accident prevention in the ALWR Requirements Document which will reduce the likelihood of core damage by an order of magnitude or more compared to earlier LWR designs. Nonetheless, for defense-in-depth the Passive ALWR source term is based on evaluation of a core damage event. Selection of this core damage event and the associated quantification of the fission product release were done in a conservative, yet physically-based manner so as to provide significant margin to the expected releases, given an ALWR accident, while avoiding non-physical assumptions which could produce mitigation system designs not well-suited to the important accidents. The physically-based source term presented in this report is intended for use in ALWR design basis analysis defining the radiological environment for plant systems and equipment and evaluating the offsite dose for emergency planning considerations. 100 refs., 18 figs., 44 tabs

Power converters require passive low-pass filters which are capable of reducing voltage ripples effectively. In contrast to signal filters, the components of power filters must carry large currents or withstand large voltages, respectively. In this paper, three different suitable filter struc tures for d.c./d.c. power converters with inductive load are introduced. The formulas needed to calculate the filter components are derived step by step and practical examples are given. The behaviour of the three discussed filters is compared by means of the examples. P ractical aspects for the realization of power filters are also discussed.

International audience In this chapter, we introduce an additional, yet essential, concept in describing software architectures : architecture constraints. We explain the precise role of these entities and their importance in object-oriented, component-based or service-oriented software engi-neering. We then describe the way in which they are specified and interpreted. An architect can define architecture constraints and then associate them to architectural descriptions to limit their stru...

The physical meaning and the geometrical interpretation of causality implementation in classical field theories are discussed. Causality in field theory are kinematical constraints dynamically implemented via solutions of the field equation, but in a limit of zero-distance from the field sources part of these constraints carries a dynamical content that explains old problems of classical electrodynamics away with deep implications to the nature of physicals interactions. (author)

The physical meaning and the geometrical interpretation of causality implementation in classical field theories are discussed. Local causality are kinematical constraints dynamically implemented via solutions of the field equations, but in a limit of zero-distance from the field sources part of these constraints carries a dynamical content that explains old problems of classical electrodynamics away and implies on deep implications to the nature of physical interactions.

This thesis consists of three self-contained papers. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction. In Chapter 2, I study the impact of collateral constraints on producers and thereby on aggregate output. In a theoretical paper, Kiyotaki and Moore (1997) show that collateral constraints that restrict the investment decisions of producers can strongly amplify and propagate aggregate shocks. However, the subsequent quantitative literature tends to find rather weak and non-robust effects of collater...

The ntcc calculus is a model of non-deterministic temporal concurrent constraint programming. In this paper we study behavioral notions for this calculus. In the underlying computational model, concurrent constraint processes are executed in discrete time intervals. The behavioral notions studied....... Furthermore, the expressive power of this fragment is illustrated by examples. Basic Research in Computer Science, Centre of the Danish National Research Foundation....

Introduction. Exposure to passive smoking at work has been forbidden for few years in France. This study's aim is to estimate the prevalence of passive smoking at work (PSW), the characteristics of illegal passive smoking and to identify eventual respiratory effects. Methods. Occupational practitioners (OPs) of a French county of 320,000 wage earners were contacted by mail. Then OP answered questions from a standardized questionnaire. These questions concerned the practised job, exposure feat...

A thermal method to passivate the carbon and/or other components in fly ash significantly decreases adsorption. The passivated carbon remains in the fly ash. Heating the fly ash to about 500 and 800 degrees C. under inert gas conditions sharply decreases the amount of surfactant adsorbed by the fly ash recovered after thermal treatment despite the fact that the carbon content remains in the fly ash. Using oxygen and inert gas mixtures, the present invention shows that a thermal treatment to about 500 degrees C. also sharply decreases the surfactant adsorption of the recovered fly ash even though most of the carbon remains intact. Also, thermal treatment to about 800 degrees C. under these same oxidative conditions shows a sharp decrease in surfactant adsorption of the recovered fly ash due to the fact that the carbon has been removed. This experiment simulates the various "carbon burnout" methods and is not a claim in this method. The present invention provides a thermal method of deactivating high carbon fly ash toward adsorption of AEAs while retaining the fly ash carbon. The fly ash can be used, for example, as a partial Portland cement replacement in air-entrained concrete, in conductive and other concretes, and for other applications.

提出了一种获得微观无源的PT高频模型方法,该方法首先利用矢量拟合获得Foster形式的网络函数稳定的表达式,然后利用起作用集方法求解带约束条件的二次规划获得满足无源的Foster形式的网络函数,最后综合获得微观无源的电路模型。根据无源修正前后网络函数的对比验证了本文所提方法的有效性。%Very fast transient overvoltage generated in gas insulated substation（GIS） will introduce into secondary by potential transformer（PT）,and which will affect secondary equipment,so it must be analyzed.PT circuit model according to measured frequency domain network function could be implanted into EMTP or PSPICE,but if the model has active element,then the simulation maybe unsteady.For solving the problem,a method to obtain PT high frequency microscopic passivity circuit model is proposed.First,the method uses vector fitting to obtain steady Foster formula,and then active set method is used to solve quadratic programming with constraint to obtain passive Foster formula.At last,a circuit synthesis method for rational functions is applied to build microscopic passive circuit model.The effectiveness of the method is verified by the comparison of network function before and after passiveadjustment.

Many of the basic elements of passive solar design are reviewed. Passive solar construction is covered according to system type, each system type discussion including a general discussion of the important design and construction issues which apply to the particular system and case studies illustrating designed and built examples of the system type. The three basic types of passive solar systems discussed are direct gain, thermal storage wall, and attached sunspace. Thermal performance and construction information is presented for typical materials used in passive solar collector components, storage components, and control components. Appended are an overview of analysis methods and a technique for estimating performance. (LEW)

Passive millimeter wave(PMMW)images inherently have the problem of poor resolution owing to limited aperture dimension.Thus,efficient post-processing is necessary to achieve resolution improvement.An adaptive projected Laadweber(APL)super-resolution algorithm using a spectral correction procedure,which attempts to combine the strong points of all of the projected Landweber(PL)iteration and the adaptive relaxation parameter adjustment and the spectral correction method,is proposed.In the algorithm,the PL iterations are implemented as the main image restoration scheme and a spectral correction method is included in which the calculated spectrum within the passband is replaced by the known low frequency component.Then,the algorithm updates the relaxation parameter adaptively at each iteration.A qualitative evaluation of this algorithm is performed with simulated data as well as actual radiometer image captured by 91.5 GHz mechanically scanned radiometer.From experiments,it is found that the super-resolution algorithm obtains better results and enhances the resolution and has lower mean square error(MSE).These constraints and adaptive character and spectral correction procedures speed up the convergence of the Landweber algorithm and reduce the ringing effects that are caused by regularizing the image restoration problem.

Credit risk has become a topical issue since the 2007 Credit Crisis, particularly for its impact on the valuation of OTC derivatives. This becomes critical when the credit risk of entities involved in a contract either as underlying or counterparty become highly correlated as is the case during macroeconomic shocks. It impacts the valuation of such contracts through an additional term, the credit valuation adjustment (CVA). This can become large with such correlation. This thesis outlines the...

The Adjustable Autonomy Testbed (AAT) is a simulation-based testbed located in the Intelligent Systems Laboratory in the Automation, Robotics and Simulation Division at NASA Johnson Space Center. The purpose of the testbed is to support evaluation and validation of prototypes of adjustable autonomous agent software for control and fault management for complex systems. The AA T project has developed prototype adjustable autonomous agent software and human interfaces for cooperative fault management. This software builds on current autonomous agent technology by altering the architecture, components and interfaces for effective teamwork between autonomous systems and human experts. Autonomous agents include a planner, flexible executive, low level control and deductive model-based fault isolation. Adjustable autonomy is intended to increase the flexibility and effectiveness of fault management with an autonomous system. The test domain for this work is control of advanced life support systems for habitats for planetary exploration. The CONFIG hybrid discrete event simulation environment provides flexible and dynamically reconfigurable models of the behavior of components and fluids in the life support systems. Both discrete event and continuous (discrete time) simulation are supported, and flows and pressures are computed globally. This provides fast dynamic simulations of interacting hardware systems in closed loops that can be reconfigured during operations scenarios, producing complex cascading effects of operations and failures. Current object-oriented model libraries support modeling of fluid systems, and models have been developed of physico-chemical and biological subsystems for processing advanced life support gases. In FY01, water recovery system models will be developed.

We address the questions, How do physicians adjust to and enjoy their retirement? What factors contribute to the well-being of retired physicians? A 60-item questionnaire mailed to 238 retired physicians in Los Angeles County with a 41.6% response rate assessed health, standard of living, relationships, activities, emotional difficulties, and general enjoyment. Health often improved after retirement, as did relationships with spouses and children. Standard of living was comfortable or better ...

In theory, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is applicable to a wide variety of invertebrate pests. However, in practice, the approach has been successfully applied to only a few major pests. Chapters in this volume address possible reasons for this discrepancy, e.g. Klassen, Lance and McInnis, and Robinson and Hendrichs. The shortfall between theory and practice is partly due to the persistence of some common misconceptions, but it is mainly due to one constraint, or a combination of constraints, that are biological, financial, social or political in nature. This chapter's goal is to dispel some major misconceptions, and view the constraints as challenges to overcome, seeing them as opportunities to exploit. Some of the common misconceptions include: (1) released insects retain residual radiation, (2) females must be monogamous, (3) released males must be fully sterile, (4) eradication is the only goal, (5) the SIT is too sophisticated for developing countries, and (6) the SIT is not a component of an area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) strategy. The more obvious constraints are the perceived high costs of the SIT, and the low competitiveness of released sterile males. The perceived high up-front costs of the SIT, their visibility, and the lack of private investment (compared with alternative suppression measures) emerge as serious constraints. Failure to appreciate the true nature of genetic approaches, such as the SIT, may pose a significant constraint to the wider adoption of the SIT and other genetically-based tactics, e.g. transgenic genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Lack of support for the necessary underpinning strategic research also appears to be an important constraint. Hence the case for extensive strategic research in ecology, population dynamics, genetics, and insect behaviour and nutrition is a compelling one. Raising the competitiveness of released sterile males remains the major research objective of the SIT. (author)

Full Text Available Uncertainty often exists in the process of obtaining measurement data, which affects the reliability of parameter estimation. This paper establishes a new adjustment model in which uncertainty is incorporated into the function model as a parameter. A new adjustment criterion and its iterative algorithm are given based on uncertainty propagation law in the residual error, in which the maximum possible uncertainty is minimized. This paper also analyzes, with examples, the different adjustment criteria and features of optimal solutions about the least-squares adjustment, the uncertainty adjustment and total least-squares adjustment. Existing error theory is extended with new observational data processing method about uncertainty.

Passives has been the focus of much research in language acquisition since the 1970s. It has been clear from this research that young children seldom produce passives spontaneously, particularly "long" or "full" passives with a by-phrase; and they usually perform poorly on experimental tests of the comprehension of passives, especially passives of…

A new passive wheel type of biped ice-skater robot (BISR) subjected to nonholonomic constraints was presented on the basis of ice-skating principle. Its motion principle and construction were discussed. After the model was simplified and the coordinate systems were established, the motion differential equations of the robot were obtained with the generalized Lagrange-Maggi equation when the nonholonomic constraints existed. Actual examples were given and the result was simulated on computer.

A passive containment cooling system includes a containment vessel surrounding a reactor pressure vessel and defining a drywell therein containing a non-condensable gas. An enclosed wetwell pool is disposed inside the containment vessel, and a gravity driven cooling system (GDCS) pool is disposed above the wetwell pool in the containment vessel and is vented to the drywell. An isolation pool is disposed above the GDCS pool and includes an isolation condenser therein. The condenser has an inlet line disposed in flow communication with the drywell for receiving the non-condensable gas along with any steam released therein following a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). The condenser also has an outlet line disposed in flow communication with the drywell for returning to the drywell both liquid condensate produced upon cooling of the steam and the non-condensable gas for reducing pressure within the containment vessel following the LOCA.

In this thesis, an investigation has been carried out into a minimum weight optimization analysis of a composite wing with multi design constraints under both static and dynamic loadings. The study includes the influence of a morphing leading edge on the wing stiffness and gust load reduction by employing a passive gust alleviation device at the wing tip. The design process started from a generic study of optimal structure against buckling for three typical types of reinforced skin panel s...

developed to replace chromates in several passivation applica-tions. Depending on the environment in which the passivated parts are to be exposed, the protection that this alternative treatment provides range from less efficient to more efficient as compared to chromate. These aspects as well as issues such...

Debates over egalitarianism for the most part are not concerned with constraints on achieving an egalitarian society, beyond discussions of the deficiencies of egalitarian theory itself. This paper looks beyond objections to egalitarianism as such and investigates the relevant psychological...... processes motivating people to resist various aspects of egalitarianism. I argue for two theses, one normative and one descriptive. The normative thesis holds that egalitarians must take psychological constraints into account when constructing egalitarian ideals. I draw from non-ideal theories in political...... philosophy, which aim to construct moral goals with current social and political constraints in mind, to argue that human psychology must be part of a non-ideal theory of egalitarianism. The descriptive thesis holds that the most fundamental psychological challenge to egalitarian ideals comes from what are...

Jordan Human Development Index (HDI) and Adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) In 1990, the United Nations Development Programme designed a Human Development Index composed of life expectancy at birth, level of education and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. In 2011, the UNDP ranked Jordan 95th out of 187 countries with a human development index of 0.698, up from 0.591 in 1990, making it the leading medium-range country for human development (fig. VIII.1). In 2010, the inequality adj...

The buildup of interenterprise credit in many Central and Eastern European countries is often seen as a problem that requires a government bailout. The authors show that arrears rise only temporarily, as the hard budget constraint bites, and then plateau. Therefore, they argue that while governments should monitor the stock of debt to see how quickly enterprises are adjusting, they shouldn...

Constraint Programming is a problem-solving paradigm that establishes a clear distinction between two pivotal aspects of a problem: (1) a precise definition of the constraints that define the problem to be solved and (2) the algorithms and heuristics enabling the selection of decisions to solve the problem. It is because of these capabilities that Constraint Programming is increasingly being employed as a problem-solving tool to solve scheduling problems. Hence the development of Constraint-Based Scheduling as a field of study. The aim of this book is to provide an overview of the most widely used Constraint-Based Scheduling techniques. Following the principles of Constraint Programming, the book consists of three distinct parts: The first chapter introduces the basic principles of Constraint Programming and provides a model of the constraints that are the most often encountered in scheduling problems. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 are focused on the propagation of resource constraints, which usually are responsibl...

A number of Pulfrich 3-D movies and TV shows have been produced, but the standard implementation has inherent drawbacks. The movie and TV industries have correctly concluded that the standard Pulfrich 3-D implementation is not a useful 3-D technique. Continuously Adjustable Pulfrich Spectacles (CAPS) is a new implementation of the Pulfrich effect that allows any scene containing movement in a standard 2-D movie, which are most scenes, to be optionally viewed in 3-D using inexpensive viewing specs. Recent scientific results in the fields of human perception, optoelectronics, video compression and video format conversion are translated into a new implementation of Pulfrich 3- D. CAPS uses these results to continuously adjust to the movie so that the viewing spectacles always conform to the optical density that optimizes the Pulfrich stereoscopic illusion. CAPS instantly provides 3-D immersion to any moving scene in any 2-D movie. Without the glasses, the movie will appear as a normal 2-D image. CAPS work on any viewing device, and with any distribution medium. CAPS is appropriate for viewing Internet streamed movies in 3-D.

This paper offers three results. First, in line with the previous literature, we confirm that fiscal adjustments based mostly on the spending side are less likely to be reversed. Second, spending based fiscal adjustments have caused smaller recessions than tax based fiscal adjustments. Finally, certain combinations of policies have made it possible for spending based fiscal adjustments to be associated with growth in the economy even on impact rather than with a recession. Thus, expansionary ...

This document presents the basis for the price adjustment mechanisms in a time series IO model. The essentials of the price adjustment and price change propagation algorithms are presented, along with a matrix permutation algorithm that facilitates the implementation of the price adjustment mechanism. The Matlab function is provided.

A passive vaporizing heat sink has been developed as a relatively lightweight, compact alternative to related prior heat sinks based, variously, on evaporation of sprayed liquids or on sublimation of solids. This heat sink is designed for short-term dissipation of a large amount of heat and was originally intended for use in regulating the temperature of spacecraft equipment during launch or re-entry. It could also be useful in a terrestrial setting in which there is a requirement for a lightweight, compact means of short-term cooling. This heat sink includes a hermetic package closed with a pressure-relief valve and containing an expendable and rechargeable coolant liquid (e.g., water) and a conductive carbon-fiber wick. The vapor of the liquid escapes when the temperature exceeds the boiling point corresponding to the vapor pressure determined by the setting of the pressure-relief valve. The great advantage of this heat sink over a melting-paraffin or similar phase-change heat sink of equal capacity is that by virtue of the =10x greater latent heat of vaporization, a coolant-liquid volume equal to =1/10 of the paraffin volume can suffice.

Full Text Available The paper presents quadripole R, L, C immittance limiters, in which output immittance to the certain value depends on the input immittance. A classification of immittance limiters is given. Basic parameters are considered: low and high levels of output immittance limiters; low and high values of input immittance, corresponding to low and high levels of limitation, accordingly; range of possible values of output immittance; steepness of immittance limiters; time of wearing-out (or delay; high and low cutoff frequencies; central working frequency; frequency band; relative range of working frequencies; non-linearity coefficient. The authors have designed passive R-, L-, C-limiters with possibility of limitation from above and from below. The influence of the input parasitic immittances on the immittance transfer characteristic is evaluated. In most cases parasite immittance does not influence the considered devices, including R-limiters «from above» with the input quality factor of QR(Linp=0,1…0,2 and L-limiters «from above» with high-quality input circuits with QL(Rinp>2. The analysis also shows that high-qualitiy circuits with QN(RinpN>3 should be used in C-limiters with input parasitic immittances, while at parasitic immittance of the limiting element low-quality circuits with QN(RiN>0,2 should be selected.

A passive blast pressure sensor for detecting blast overpressures of at least a predetermined minimum threshold pressure. The blast pressure sensor includes a piston-cylinder arrangement with one end of the piston having a detection surface exposed to a blast event monitored medium through one end of the cylinder and the other end of the piston having a striker surface positioned to impact a contact stress sensitive film that is positioned against a strike surface of a rigid body, such as a backing plate. The contact stress sensitive film is of a type which changes color in response to at least a predetermined minimum contact stress which is defined as a product of the predetermined minimum threshold pressure and an amplification factor of the piston. In this manner, a color change in the film arising from impact of the piston accelerated by a blast event provides visual indication that a blast overpressure encountered from the blast event was not less than the predetermined minimum threshold pressure.

As part of a design project in the Dept. of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A and M Univ., a study was undertaken to develop a fully passive, highly reliable, space reactor system (FPSR) capable of delivering 100 kW(electric) over a 10-yr lifetime. This report summarizes the conceptual design phase and outlines anticipated work on the FPSR project. The purpose of the FPSR is not to compete with, but rather to complement, the SP-100 baseline reactor. The motivation for the new design is to provide a long-lived, high-level power source well suited for remote, unmanned, deep-space missions. In contrast to power systems that would be deployed for cislunar missions in which the power source could be replaced in case of malfunction, the type of missions envisioned for the FPSR system would preclude power package substitution or repair. As a result, the principal design concept for the FPSR is high reliability. This concept is based on the exploitation of fundamental physical laws to eliminate dependency on moving mechanical parts for reactor control, heat removal, and transport and power conversion

We extend the concept of Wigner-Yanase-Dyson skew information to something we call "metric adjusted skew information" (of a state with respect to a conserved observable). This "skew information" is intended to be a non-negative quantity bounded by the variance (of an observable in a state) that...... vanishes for observables commuting with the state. We show that the skew information is a convex function on the manifold of states. It also satisfies other requirements, proposed by Wigner and Yanase, for an effective measure-of-information content of a state relative to a conserved observable. We...... establish a connection between the geometrical formulation of quantum statistics as proposed by Chentsov and Morozova and measures of quantum information as introduced by Wigner and Yanase and extended in this article. We show that the set of normalized Morozova-Chentsov functions describing the possible...

In her doctoral thesis Line Revsbaek explores newcomer innovation related to organizational entry processes in a changing organization. She introduces process philosophy and complexity theory to research on organizational socialization and newcomer innovation. The study challenges assumptions...... in standardized induction programs where newcomers are cast in roles as insecure novices needing to be “taught the ropes” of the organizational culture. Linked with this, it is suggested that the prevailing dichotomy of ‘newcomer assimilation’ versus ‘organizational accommodation’ is replaced with a notion...... of ‘adjusting to the emergent’. Newcomer innovation is portrayed as carrying a variety of possible significations, such as unintentional innovation effects of newcomer’s proactive self-socializing behavior; an inspirational basis for designing innovation-generating employee induction; ‘resonant instances...

N4 model, the French 1400 MW PWR of the 90's, exhibits many advanced features. As far as safety is concerned, the fully computerized control room design takes advantage of the operating experience feedback and largely improves the man machine interface. New post-accident procedures have been developed (the so-called ''physical states oriented procedures''). A complete consistent set of ''Fundamental Safety Rules'' have been issued. This however doesn't imply any significant modification of standard PWR with regard to the passive aspects of safety systems or functions. Nevertheless, traditional PWR safety systems largely use passive aspects: natural circulation, reactivity coefficients, gravity driven control rods, injection accumulators, so on. Moreover, probability calculations allow for comparison between the respective contributions of passive and of active failures. In the near future, eventual options of future French PWRs to be commissioned after 2000 will be evaluated; simplification, passive and forgiving aspects of safety systems will be thoroughly considered. (author)

We introduce a systematic approach to design all-passive subwavelength high performance metasurfaces that exhibit nonreciprocal properties and achieve wave-flow isolation. Moreover we build upon those findings and propose a new paradigm for a quasi-2D metasurface that mimic the nonreciprocal property of Faraday rotation without using any magnetic or electric biasing. We envision that the proposed approaches may serve as a building block for all-passive time-reversal symmetry breaking with pot...

CANDU has a tradition of incorporating passive systems and passive components whenever they are shown to offer performance that is equal to or better than that of active systems, and to be economic. Examples include the two independent shutdown systems that employ gravity and stored energy respectively, the dousing subsystem of the CANDU 6 containment system, and the ability of the moderator to cool the fuel in the event that all coolant is lost from the fuel channels. CANDU 9 continues this tradition, incorporating a reserve water system (RWS) that increases the inventory of water in the reactor building and profiles a passive source of makeup water and/or heat sinks to various key process systems. The key component of the CANDU 9 reserve water system is a large (2500 cubic metres) water tank located at a high elevation in the reactor building. The reserve water system, while incorporating the recovery system functions, and the non-dousing functions of the dousing tank in CANDU 6, embraces other key systems to significantly extend the passive makeup/heat sink capability. The capabilities of the reserve water system include makeup to the steam generators secondary side if all other sources of water are lost; makeup to the heat transport system in the event of a leak in excess of the D2O makeup system capability; makeup to the moderator in the event of a moderator leak when the moderator heat sink is required; makeup to the emergency core cooling (ECC) system to assure NPSH to the ECC pumps during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA), and provision of a passive heat sink for the shield cooling system. Other passive designs are now being developed by AECL. These will be incorporated in future CANDU plants when their performance has been fully proven. This paper reviews the passive heat removal systems and features of current CANDU plants and the CANDU 9, and briefly reviews some of the passive heat removal concepts now being developed. (author)

Haspelmath (2010) debates whether universal (descriptive) categories of the types that generativists (cf. Newmeyer, 2007) envisage are real and needed for cross-linguistic studies. Instead every language has its own unique set of categories. We raise doubt on this “categorial particularism” position by drawing on underlying similarities of passive constructions of three South Asian languages - Oriya (Indo-Aryan), Malayalam (Dravidian) and Kharia (Austro-Asiatic). Unlike English-type passives,...

Demonstration of a passive vapor extraction remediation system is planned for sites in the 200 West Area used in the past for the disposal of waste liquids containing carbon tetrachloride. The passive vapor extraction units will consist of a 4-in.-diameter pipe, a check valve, a canister filled with granular activated carbon, and a wind turbine. The check valve will prevent inflow of air that otherwise would dilute the soil gas and make its subsequent extraction less efficient. The granular activated carbon is used to adsorb the carbon tetrachloride from the air. The wind turbine enhances extraction rates on windy days. Passive vapor extraction units will be designed and operated to meet all applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements. Based on a cost analysis, passive vapor extraction was found to be a cost-effective method for remediation of soils containing lower concentrations of volatile contaminants. Passive vapor extraction used on wells that average 10-stdft3/min air flow rates was found to be more cost effective than active vapor extraction for concentrations below 500 parts per million by volume (ppm) of carbon tetrachloride. For wells that average 5-stdft3/min air flow rates, passive vapor extraction is more cost effective below 100 ppm

Image segmentation approaches typically incorporate weak regularity conditions such as boundary length or curvature terms, or use shape information. High-level information such as a desired area or volume, or a particular topology are only implicitly specified. In this paper we develop a segmentation method with explicit bounds on the segmented area. Area constraints allow for the soft selection of meaningful solutions, and can counteract the shrinking bias of length-based regularization. We ...

In incomplete information environments with transferable utility, efficient outcomes are generally implementable unless interim or ex post participation constraints are imposed on the problem. In this paper we show that linking a sufficiently large number of independent but possibly unrelated social decisions, a slightly perturbed Groves mechanism can implement an efficient outcome with probability arbitrarily close to one, while respecting all participation, incentive and balanced budget con...

Full Text Available Location discovery with uncertainty using passive sensor networks in the nation's power grid is known to be challenging, due to the massive scale and inherent complexity. For bearings-only target localization in passive sensor networks, the approach of fuzzy geometry is introduced to investigate the fuzzy measurability for a moving target in R2 space. The fuzzy analytical bias expressions and the geometrical constraints are derived for bearings-only target localization. The interplay between fuzzy geometry of target localization and the fuzzy estimation bias for the case of fuzzy linear observer trajectory is analyzed in detail in sensor networks, which can realize the 3-dimensional localization including fuzzy estimate position and velocity of the target by measuring the fuzzy azimuth angles at intervals of fixed time. Simulation results show that the resulting estimate position outperforms the traditional least squares approach for localization with uncertainty.

This book presents the Natural Constraint Language (NCL) language, a description language in conventional mathematical logic for modeling and solving constraint satisfaction problems. It uses illustrations and tutorials to detail NCL and its applications.

This paper shows how to apply memoization (caching of subgoals and associated answer substitutions) in a constraint logic programming setting. The research is is motivated by the desire to apply constraint logic programming (CLP) to problems in natural language processing that involve (constraint) interleaving or coroutining, such as GB and HPSG parsing.

.'' This active concept works by placing shape memory alloy (SMA) control surfaces on the submarine's diving planes and periodically oscillating them. The modulated control vortices generated by these surfaces interact with the tip vortices on the diving planes, causing an instability to rapidly occur. Though several numerical simulations have been presented, experimental verification does not appear to be available in the open literature. The authors address this problem through a concept called passive wake vortex control (PWVC), which has been demonstrated to rapidly break apart a trailing vortex wake and render it incoherent. PWVC functions by introducing unequal strength, counter-rotating control vortices next to the tip vortices. The presence of these control vortices destabilizes the vortex wake and produces a rapidly growing wake instability.

A new invention disclosure discusses a structure and process for separating gas from liquids in microgravity. The Microgravity Passive Phase Separator consists of two concentric, pleated, woven stainless- steel screens (25-micrometer nominal pore) with an axial inlet, and an annular outlet between both screens (see figure). Water enters at one end of the center screen at high velocity, eventually passing through the inner screen and out through the annular exit. As gas is introduced into the flow stream, the drag force exerted on the bubble pushes it downstream until flow stagnation or until it reaches an equilibrium point between the surface tension holding bubble to the screen and the drag force. Gas bubbles of a given size will form a front that is moved further down the length of the inner screen with increasing velocity. As more bubbles are added, the front location will remain fixed, but additional bubbles will move to the end of the unit, eventually coming to rest in the large cavity between the unit housing and the outer screen (storage area). Owing to the small size of the pores and the hydrophilic nature of the screen material, gas does not pass through the screen and is retained within the unit for emptying during ground processing. If debris is picked up on the screen, the area closest to the inlet will become clogged, so high-velocity flow will persist farther down the length of the center screen, pushing the bubble front further from the inlet of the inner screen. It is desired to keep the velocity high enough so that, for any bubble size, an area of clean screen exists between the bubbles and the debris. The primary benefits of this innovation are the lack of any need for additional power, strip gas, or location for venting the separated gas. As the unit contains no membrane, the transport fluid will not be lost due to evaporation in the process of gas separation. Separation is performed with relatively low pressure drop based on the large surface

clicks regularly to echolocate on prey during deep foraging dives. The effectiveness of PAD for beaked whales depends not only on the acoustic behavior and output of the animals but also on environmental conditions and the quality of the passive sonar implemented. A primary constraint on the range at...... receiver close to the surface should be able to detect acoustically Cuvier's beaked whales with a high probability at distances up to 0.7 km, provided the listening duration exceeds the deep dive interval, about 2.5 h on average. Detection ranges beyond 4 km are unlikely and would require low ambient...

We give a truly elementary proof of the convexity of metric-adjusted skew information following an idea of Effros. We extend earlier results of weak forms of superadditivity to general metric-adjusted skew information. Recently, Luo and Zhang introduced the notion of semi-quantum states on a...... bipartite system and proved superadditivity of the Wigner-Yanase-Dyson skew informations for such states. We extend this result to the general metric-adjusted skew information. We finally show that a recently introduced extension to parameter values 1 adjusted skew information....

the complete guide to adjusting for measurement error-expanded and updated no measurement is ever exact. Adjustment Computations updates a classic, definitive text on surveying with the latest methodologies and tools for analyzing and adjusting errors with a focus on least squares adjustments, the most rigorous methodology available and the one on which accuracy standards for surveys are based. This extensively updated Fifth Edition shares new information on advances in modern software and GNSS-acquired data. Expanded sections offer a greater amount of computable problems and their worked solu

We study uncharged Rindler hydrodynamics at second order in the derivative expansion. The equation of state of the theory is given by a vanishing equilibrium energy density. We derive relations among the transport coefficients by employing two frameworks. First, by the requirement of having an entropy current with a non-negative divergence, second by studying the thermal partition function on stationary backgrounds. The relations derived by these two methods are consistent with each other. However, we find that the entropy current yields stronger constraints than the thermal partition function. We verify the results by studying explicit examples in flat and curved space-time geometries.

Concurrent constraint programming (ccp) is a formalism for concurrency in which agents interact with one another by telling (adding) and asking (reading) information in a shared medium. Temporal ccp extends ccp by allowing agents to be constrained by time conditions. This dissertation studies...... structures, robotic devises, multi-agent systems and music applications. The calculus is provided with a denotational semantics that captures the reactive computations of processes in the presence of arbitrary environments. The denotation is proven to be fully-abstract for a substantial fragment...

In recent years in Denmark there has been an increasing focus on implementing passive and active strategies in buildings to fulfil low energy demands like for example the Passive House Standard. From a technical rational perspective, plenty of pilot projects and commercial projects have shown that...... it is possible to build this type of houses, but the knowledge and discussion about the architectural quality in the buildings is hardly present. The question is if the strategies for optimising energy use and indoor environment collide with the architectural qualities of buildings. This paper brings...... forth this discussion based in literature and four case studies. The paper highlights cases on how passive strategies for optimising energy use and indoor environment affect, restrict, inspire or create possibilities for the architectural expression and there through the architectural quality of the...

This paper examines determinants of networking by academics. Using information from a unique large survey of German researchers, the key contribution focuses on the active versus passive networking distinction. Is active networking by researchers a substitute or a complement to passive networking......? Other contributions include examining the role of geographic factors in networking and whether research bottlenecks affect a researcher's propensity to network. Are the determinants of European conference participation by German researchers different from conferences in rest of the world? Results show...... that some types of passive academic networking are complementary to active networking, while others are substitute. Further, we find differences in factors promoting participation in European conferences versus conferences in rest of the world. Finally, publishing bottlenecks as a group generally do...

We report the first air-passivated ambipolar BP transistor formed by applying benzyl viologen, which serves as a surface charge transfer donor for BP flakes. The passivated BP devices exhibit excellent stability under both an ambient atmosphere and vacuum; their transistor performance is maintained semi-permanently. Unlike their intrinsic p-type properties, passivated BP devices present advantageous ambipolar properties with much higher electron mobility up to ∼83 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) from 2-terminal measurement at 300 K, compared to other reported studies on n-type BP transistors. On the basis of the n-type doping effect that originated from benzyl viologen, we also systematically investigated the BP thickness dependence of our devices on electrical properties, in which we found the best electron transport performance to be attained when an ∼10 nm thick BP flake was used. PMID:27283027

Six volunteers each smoked simultaneously, in a small unventilated room (volume 27 950 liter), a cannabis cigarette containing 17.1 mg delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). A further four subjects - passive inhalers - remained in the room during smoking and afterwards for a total of 3 h. Blood and urine samples were taken from all ten subjects and analyzed by radioimmunoassay for THC metabolites. The blood samples from the passive subjects taken up to 3 h after the start of exposure to cannabis smoke showed a complete absence of cannabinoids. In contrast, their urine samples taken up to 6 h after exposure showed significant concentrations of cannabinoid metabolites (less than or equal to 6.8 ng ml-1). These data, taken with the results of other workers, show passive inhalation of cannabis smoke to be possible. These results have important implications for forensic toxicologists who are frequently called upon to interpret cannabinoid levels in body fluids.

Distances from the Gaia mission will no doubt improve our understanding of stellar physics by providing an excellent constraint on the luminosity of the star. However, it is also clear that high precision stellar properties from, for example, asteroseismology, will also provide a needed input constraint in order to calibrate the methods that Gaia will use, e.g. stellar models or GSP_phot. For solar-like stars (F, G, K IV/V), asteroseismic data delivers at the least two very important quantities: (1) the average large frequency separation and (2) the frequency corresponding to the maximum of the modulated-amplitude spectrum nu_max. Both of these quantities are related directly to stellar parameters (radius and mass) and in particular their combination (gravity and density). We show how the precision in , nu_max, and atmospheric parameters T_eff and [Fe/H] affect the determination of gravity (log g) for a sample of well-known stars. We find that log g can be determined within less than 0.02 dex accuracy for ou...

The authors have analyzed general properties of very long DNA sequences belonging to simple and complex organisms, by using different correlation methods. They have distinguished those base compositional rules that concern the entire genome which they call 'genomic constraints' from the rules that depend on the 'external natural selection' acting on single genes, i. e. protein-centered constraints. They show that G + C content, purine / pyrimidine distributions and biological complexity of the organism are the most important factors which determine base compositional rules and genome complexity. Three main facts are here reported: bacteria with high G + C content have more restrictions on base composition than those with low G + C content; at constant G + C content more complex organisms, ranging from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes (e.g. human) display an increase of repeats 10-20 nucleotides long, which are also partly responsible for long-range correlations; work selection of length 3 to 10 is stronger in human and in bacteria for two distinct reasons. With respect to previous studies, they have also compared the genomic sequence of the archeon Methanococcus jannaschii with those of bacteria and eukaryotes: it shows sometimes an intermediate statistical behaviour

Most modern industrial and architectural designs need to satisfy the requirements of their targeted performance and respect the limitations of available fabrication technologies. At the same time, they should reflect the artistic considerations and personal taste of the designers, which cannot be simply formulated as optimization goals with single best solutions. This thesis aims at a general, flexible yet e cient computational framework for interactive creation, exploration and discovery of serviceable, constructible, and stylish designs. By formulating nonlinear engineering considerations as linear or quadratic expressions by introducing auxiliary variables, the constrained space could be e ciently accessed by the proposed algorithm Guided Projection, with the guidance of aesthetic formulations. The approach is introduced through applications in different scenarios, its effectiveness is demonstrated by examples that were difficult or even impossible to be computationally designed before. The first application is the design of meshes under both geometric and static constraints, including self-supporting polyhedral meshes that are not height fields. Then, with a formulation bridging mesh based and spline based representations, the application is extended to developable surfaces including origami with curved creases. Finally, general approaches to extend hard constraints and soft energies are discussed, followed by a concluding remark outlooking possible future studies.

We present an actor-critic framework for MDPs where the objective is the variance-adjusted expected return. Our critic uses linear function approximation, and we extend the concept of compatible features to the variance-adjusted setting. We present an episodic actor-critic algorithm and show that it converges almost surely to a locally optimal point of the objective function.

Proposes and experimentally tests mood adjustment approach, complementing mood management theory. Discusses how results regarding self-exposure across time show that patterns of popular music listening among a group of undergraduate students differ with initial mood and anticipation, lending support to mood adjustment hypotheses. Describes how…

In order to reduce corrosion rates, zinc plated parts are usually chromated. Recently chromates have caused increasingly environmental concern, for both allergic effects among workers touching chro-mated parts and toxic effects on fish, plants and bacteria. A molybdate based alternative has been...... developed to replace chromates in several passivation applica-tions. Depending on the environment in which the passivated parts are to be exposed, the protection that this alternative treatment provides range from less efficient to more efficient as compared to chromate. These aspects as well as issues such...

In this thesis, a Bayes linear methodology for the adjustment of covariance matrices is presented and discussed. A geometric framework for quantifying uncertainties about covariance matrices is set up, and an inner-product for spaces of random matrices is motivated and constructed. The inner-product on this space captures aspects of our beliefs about the relationship between covariance matrices of interest to us, providing a structure rich enough for us to adjust beliefs about unknown matrices in the light of data such as sample covariance matrices, exploiting second-order exchangeability and related specifications to obtain representations allowing analysis. Adjustment is associated with orthogonal projection, and illustrated with examples of adjustments for some common problems. The problem of adjusting the covariance matrices underlying exchangeable random vectors is tackled and discussed. Learning about the covariance matrices associated with multivariate time series dynamic linear models is shown to be a...

Full Text Available The role of passive smoking on breast cancer risk was unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between passive smoking and breast cancer risk among Chinese women.A hospital-based case-control study, including 877 breast cancer cases and 890 controls, frequency-matched by age and residence, was conducted. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on passive smoking history through face-to-face interview by trained interviewers. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between passive smoking and breast cancer risk. A positive association between any passive smoking exposure and breast cancer risk was observed. Compared with women who were never exposed to passive smoking, women who were ever exposed had a higher breast cancer risk, with the adjusted odds ratio (OR and 95% confidence interval (CI of 1.35 (1.11-1.65. Similar result was found on home passive smoking exposure and breast cancer risk, but not on workplace passive smoking exposure. Women who were ever exposed to tobacco smoke at home had a higher risk of breast cancer compared with never exposed women, with the adjusted OR (95% CI of 1.30 (1.05-1.61. Home passive smoking exposure showed significant dose-response relationships with breast cancer risk in smoker-years, cigarettes/day and total pack-years (Ptrend=0.003, 0.006 and 0.009, respectively. An increased total smoker-years of any passive exposure significantly elevated the risk of breast cancer (Ptrend<0.001. Positive associations and dose-response relationships were found among postmenopausal women and all subtypes of estrogen receptor (ER and progesterone receptor (PR status of breast cancer.Passive smoking was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among non-smoking Chinese women. A stronger positive association with breast cancer risk was seen mainly among postmenopausal women.

Dana Scott used the partial order among partial functions for his mathematical model of recursively defined functions. He interpreted the partial order as one of information content. In this paper we elaborate on Scott's suggestion of regarding computation as a process of information maximization by applying it to the solution of constraint satisfaction problems. Here the method of constraint propagation can be interpreted as decreasing uncertainty about the solution -- that is, as gain in information about the solution. As illustrative example we choose numerical constraint satisfaction problems to be solved by interval constraints. To facilitate this approach to constraint solving we formulate constraint satisfaction problems as formulas in predicate logic. This necessitates extending the usual semantics for predicate logic so that meaning is assigned not only to sentences but also to formulas with free variables.

Observationally, the universe appears virtually critical. Yet, there is no simple explanation for this state. In this article we advance and explore the premise that the dynamics of the universe always seeks equilibrium conditions. Vacuum-induced cosmic accelerations lead to creation of matter-energy modes at the expense of vacuum energy. Because they gravitate, such modes constitute inertia against cosmic acceleration. On the other extreme, the would-be ultimate phase of local gravitational collapse is checked by a phase transition in the collapsing matter fields leading to a de Sitter-like fluid deep inside the black hole horizon, and at the expense of the collapsing matter fields. As a result, the universe succumbs to neither vacuum-induced run-away accelerations nor to gravitationally induced spacetime curvature singularities. Cosmic dynamics is self-regulating. We discuss the physical basis for these constraints and the implications, pointing out how the framework relates and helps resolve standing puzzl...

There have been no experiences of implementing a passive shutdown system in operating or operated SFRs around the world. However, new SFRs are considered to adopt a self-actuated shutdown system (SASS) in the future to provide an alternate means of passively shutting down the reactor. The Prototype Gen-IV SFR (PGSFR) also adopts this system for the same reason. This passive shutdown design concept is combined with a group of secondary control rod drive mechanisms (SCRDM). The system automatically releases the control rod assembly (CRA) around the set temperature, and then drops the CRA by gravity without any external control signals and any actuating power in an emergency of the reactor. This paper describes the design upgrade parametric study of a passive shutdown system, which consists of a thermal expansion device, an electromagnet, a secondary control rod assembly head, etc. The conceptual design values of each component are also suggested. Parametric calculations are performed to meet the performance requirements of the thermal expansion device and electromagnets. The maximum thermal expansion difference length of 3.6 mm is less than the target value of 5 mm, and the calculated electromagnet forces on the CRA are smaller than the target value of 800 N. An additional design improvement to increase the thermal expansion difference length of a thermal expansion device are necessary to meet the target value, and the electromagnetic force should be increased by an adjustment of the electromagnet design values such as supplied current, material permeability, etc. The design feasibility of the thermal expansion device as a passive concept will be verified based on these results.

There have been no experiences of implementing a passive shutdown system in operating or operated SFRs around the world. However, new SFRs are considered to adopt a self-actuated shutdown system (SASS) in the future to provide an alternate means of passively shutting down the reactor. The Prototype Gen-IV SFR (PGSFR) also adopts this system for the same reason. This passive shutdown design concept is combined with a group of secondary control rod drive mechanisms (SCRDM). The system automatically releases the control rod assembly (CRA) around the set temperature, and then drops the CRA by gravity without any external control signals and any actuating power in an emergency of the reactor. This paper describes the design upgrade parametric study of a passive shutdown system, which consists of a thermal expansion device, an electromagnet, a secondary control rod assembly head, etc. The conceptual design values of each component are also suggested. Parametric calculations are performed to meet the performance requirements of the thermal expansion device and electromagnets. The maximum thermal expansion difference length of 3.6 mm is less than the target value of 5 mm, and the calculated electromagnet forces on the CRA are smaller than the target value of 800 N. An additional design improvement to increase the thermal expansion difference length of a thermal expansion device are necessary to meet the target value, and the electromagnetic force should be increased by an adjustment of the electromagnet design values such as supplied current, material permeability, etc. The design feasibility of the thermal expansion device as a passive concept will be verified based on these results

We show that a simple macroeconomic model with collateral constraints displays strong asymmetric responses to boom and bust periods. In a boom triggered by a rise in asset values, constraints become more and more relaxed, the collateral channel is weaker, and the response of aggregate consumption (and output) to a wealth shock is positive but small. In a recession, collateral constraints get tighter and tighter, the collateral channel gets stronger, and the response in consumption from a give...

In this paper extensions to an existing tracking algorithm are described. These extensions implement adaptive tracking constraints in the form of regional upper-bound displacements and an adaptive track smoothness constraint. Together, these constraints make the tracking algorithm more flexible than the original algorithm (which used fixed tracking parameters) and provide greater confidence in the tracking results. The result of applying the new algorithm to high-resolution ...

The development activities in the area of nuclear plant design in recent years have caused widespread interest in the plants incorporating passive safety features and simplified system designs. In recent years, design studies were undertaken to use passive phenomena such as natural circulation and gravity to provide safety functions, rather than to rely on the active systems requiring power supply and control systems. The resulting simplification leads to reduced capital costs and shortened construction period. Westinghouse developed the AP600 plant, which is a 600 MWe PWR and features passive safety systems, simplified plant design and the decreased reliance on operator interface. In 1988, the program was initiated to investigate the application of AP600 technology to the use in Japan with more appropriate design features. This plant with 960 MWe rating is designated 'Simplified pressurized water reactor' (SPWR). The key objectives of the SPWR design are shown. The reactor cooling system, the plant instrumentation and control, the passive engineered safety features, the testing program, the plant arrangement and seismic consideration, the safety analysis and the plant simplification and economics of the SPWR are reported. (K.I.)

Understanding the Passive Aggressive Conflict Cycle (PACC) helps observers to be able to look beyond behavior and better understand what is occurring beneath the surface. This article presents a real-life example of a seemingly minor conflict between a teacher and child that elicited an apparent major overreaction by the adult. Also provided is a…

We report the first air-passivated ambipolar BP transistor formed by applying benzyl viologen, which serves as a surface charge transfer donor for BP flakes. The passivated BP devices exhibit excellent stability under both an ambient atmosphere and vacuum; their transistor performance is maintained semi-permanently. Unlike their intrinsic p-type properties, passivated BP devices present advantageous ambipolar properties with much higher electron mobility up to ~83 cm2 V-1 s-1 from 2-terminal measurement at 300 K, compared to other reported studies on n-type BP transistors. On the basis of the n-type doping effect that originated from benzyl viologen, we also systematically investigated the BP thickness dependence of our devices on electrical properties, in which we found the best electron transport performance to be attained when an ~10 nm thick BP flake was used.We report the first air-passivated ambipolar BP transistor formed by applying benzyl viologen, which serves as a surface charge transfer donor for BP flakes. The passivated BP devices exhibit excellent stability under both an ambient atmosphere and vacuum; their transistor performance is maintained semi-permanently. Unlike their intrinsic p-type properties, passivated BP devices present advantageous ambipolar properties with much higher electron mobility up to ~83 cm2 V-1 s-1 from 2-terminal measurement at 300 K, compared to other reported studies on n-type BP transistors. On the basis of the n-type doping effect that originated from benzyl viologen, we also systematically investigated the BP thickness dependence of our devices on electrical properties, in which we found the best electron transport performance to be attained when an ~10 nm thick BP flake was used. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Transfer characteristics of BP field effect transistors (BV1-BV4) (Fig. S1 and S2 and Table S1); output characteristics of BP field effect transistors in different directions (Fig. S3

Minuscule devices, called RFID tags are attached to objects and persons and emit information which positioned readers may capture wirelessly. Many methods of identification have been used, but that of most common is to use a unique serial number for identification of person or object. RFID tags can be characterized as either active or passive [1,2]. Traditional passive tags are typically in "sleep" state until awakened by the reader's emitted field. In passive tags, the reader's field acts to charge the capacitor that powers the badge and this can be a combination of antenna and barcodes obtained with SAW( Surface Acoustic Wave) devices [1,2,3] . The antenna in an RFID tag is a conductive element that permits the tag to exchange data with the reader. The paper contribution are targeted to antenna for passive RFID tags. The electromagnetic field generated by the reader is somehow oriented by the reader antenna and power is induced in the tag only if the orientation of the tag antenna is appropriate. A tag placed orthogonal to the reader yield field will not be read. This is the reason that guided manufacturers to build circular polarized antenna capable of propagating a field that is alternatively polarized on all planes passing on the diffusion axis. Passive RFID tags are operated at the UHF frequencies of 868MHz (Europe) and 915MHz (USA) and at the microwave frequencies of 2,45 GHz and 5,8 GHz . Because the tags are small dimensions, in paper, we present the possibility to use circular polarization microstrip antenna with fractal edge [2].

The design, construction and performance of a 240 m/sup 2/ (2600 ft/sup 2/) passive solar home in Missoula, Montana are described. The design is of particular interest for Pacific Northwest sites characterized by poor to moderate levels of sun and environmental constraints on the type of supplemental fuel. While wood is an abundant and relatively cheap fuel in western Montana, winter inversion conditions and a massive shift to wood heat has led (in Missoula) to violation of all federal and state ambient air standards for particulates. The key feature of the design employed here is to integrate a wood burning furnace into a massive Trombe wall. The passive solar and conservation aspects of the design minimize the total demand for the supplementary fuel. In addition, by using the passive storage, very hot cleanburning (and infrequent) fires can be built. The storage also allows cycling through periods of high inversion/pollution conditions. The design is also innovative in the use of thermal zones and incorporates an attached greenhouse for winter food production. Choice of construction materials (including recycled beams and local stone) and design were closely influenced by the relatively secluded nature of the site. The building shell is essentially a sculptural statement derived from the five year long interaction of the owner/builder and the site's other (wild) inhabitants.

This paper investigates passive vehicle suspensions with inerters by considering multiple performance requirements including ride comfort, suspension deflection and tyre grip, where suspension deflection performance is novelly considered which is formulated as a part of objective functions and a constraint separately. Six suspension configurations are analyzed and the analytical solutions for each performance measure are derived. The conditions for each configuration to be strictly better than the simpler ones are obtained by presenting the analytical solutions of each configuration based on those of the simpler ones. Then, two stages of comparisons are given to show the performance limitations of suspension deflection for passive suspensions with inerters. In the first stage, it is shown that although the configurations with inerters can improve the mixed performance of ride comfort and tyre grip, the suspension deflection performance is significantly decreased simultaneously. In the second stage, it is shown that for passive suspensions with inerters, suspension deflection is the more basic limitation for both ride comfort and tyre grip performance by doing comparisons among mixed ride comfort and suspension deflection optimization, mixed ride comfort and tyre grip optimization, and mixed suspension deflection and tyre grip optimization. Finally, the problem of mixed ride comfort and tyre grip performance optimization with equal suspension deflection is investigated. The limitations of suspension deflection for each configuration are further highlighted.

An experimental program was carried out to gain further understanding into the kinetics of salt film formation during repassivation of a corroding metal. Experiments were conducted using an ellipsometer to examine an electrode surface undergoing anodic dissolution and passivation. Because of the constraints of the ellipsometer, the sample had to be mounted vertically. As a consequence natural convection currents had to be taken into account. Calculation showed that the mass transfer limiting current was exceeded by transient currents, indicating that natural convection was present to an extent that could drastically change the system from the diffusion model that was proposed. It was determined that recessing the electrode led to minimized natural convective effects, and to uniform current distribution. The ellipsometer output provided times which were associated with precipitation and dissolution of the salt film. The experimental data was in good agreement with the mathematical model, further strengthening the precipitation-dissolution mechanism of passivation. Furthermore, a dimensionless model was shown capable of a first approximation of the passivation behavior of any metal. Investigations reported here were carried out on iron, nickel, and cobalt.

Quantified constraints and Quantified Boolean Formulae are typically much more difficult to reason with than classical constraints, because quantifier alternation makes the usual notion of solution inappropriate. As a consequence, basic properties of Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSP), such as consistency or substitutability, are not completely understood in the quantified case. These properties are important because they are the basis of most of the reasoning methods used to solve classical (existentially quantified) constraints, and one would like to benefit from similar reasoning methods in the resolution of quantified constraints. In this paper, we show that most of the properties that are used by solvers for CSP can be generalized to quantified CSP. This requires a re-thinking of a number of basic concepts; in particular, we propose a notion of outcome that generalizes the classical notion of solution and on which all definitions are based. We propose a systematic study of the relations which hold be...

... may need to work to help with family finances. All of the changes that they face can ... 2000). Goal instability and adjustment to physical disability. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(2). 251-265. This ...

Crustal magnetic anomalies mapped by the MAGSAT satellite for North and South America, Europe, Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica and adjacent marine areas were adjusted to a common elevation of 400 km and differentially reduced to the radial pole of intensity 60,000 nT. These radially polarized anomalies are normalized for differential inclination, declination and intensity effects of the geomagnetic field, so that in principle they directly reflected the geometric and magnetic polarization attributes of sources which include regional petrologic variations of the crust and upper mantle, and crustal thickness and thermal perturbations. Continental anomalies demonstrate remarkably detailed correlation of regional magnetic sources across rifted margins when plotted on a reconstruction of Pangea. Accordingly, they suggest further fundamental constraints on the geologic evolution of the continents and their reconstructions.

Radially polarized MAGSAT anomalies of North and South America, Europe, Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica demonstrate remarkably detailed correlation of regional magnetic lithospheric sources across rifted margins when plotted on a reconstruction of Pangea. These major magnetic features apparently preserve their integrity until a superimposed metamorphoric event alters the magnitude and pattern of the anomalies. The longevity of continental scale magnetic anomalies contrasts markedly with that of regional gravity anomalies which tend to reflect predominantly isostatic adjustments associated with neo-tectonism. First observed as a result of NASA's magnetic satellite programs, these anomalies provide new and fundamental constraints on the geologic evolution and dynamics of the continents and oceans. Accordingly, satellite magnetic observations provide a further tool for investigating continental drift to compliment other lines of evidence in paleoclimatology, paleontology, paleomagnetism, and studies of the radiometric ages and geometric fit of the continents.

showed consistent results as regards the occurrence of passive smoking among adult Danes. About 12% of non-smokers were exposed to passive smoking for at least eight hours and 40% for at least one hour daily. Altogether 73% were exposed to passive smoking daily. About one third of the non-smokers were...

Purpose: To experimentally investigate knowledge of passives of actional ("hold") and psychological ("love") verbs in children with Williams syndrome (WS). Passives are usually reported to be in line with mental age in WS. However, studies usually focus on passives of actional verbs only. Method: Twenty-six children with WS, ages 6-16, and 3…

investigates the reasons why energy technology is not domesticated: Which constraints exist in the household members' interplay and engagement with the energy technology? The division of labour in the home was a considerable reason to why engagement with the technology may decrease for one partner, while the other partner's engagement increases. The division of labour is based on interests and knowledge, functional partitions between work tasks to be done at home, and on traditions. The air handling unit is an aesthetically unattractive, uninteresting, strange mechanism in the home that is difficult to understand and 'works by itself' somewhere backstage. The operating instructions give limited support since the householders lack knowledge and interest, and the language used is difficult to interpret. The fourth and last research question concerns how the household members gradually increase their familiarity with - and knowledge about - to the handling of the indoor temperature in the passive house. The thesis shows various dimensions of this learning process. One of the dimensions emanates from familiarity with the technology, and hereby the situated and dynamic character of learning is emphasized. It includes the interplay between the experiences of the household members and the resources at hand. Another dimension of the learning process concerns how to relate to, and handle, variations when it comes to shifts in weather and daily activities, the need to adjust the heat to practices in the home and to the different household members' perceptions of what a comfortable indoor climate is. A third dimension shows that the household must learn how to handle, on the one hand, an air heating system that is 'miscalculated', and on the other hand 'wrong adjustments' made by themselves and others. An important explanation to why it took time to correct the 'wrong adjustments' and 'miscalculations' is the uncertainty

Airborne InSAR system and InSAR data processing algorithm have been one of the hot topics in the international SAR field. Geometric constraint relation of images is set up through airborne InSAR block adjustment, adjustment parameters are adjusted and refined, and the three-dimensional(3D) ground coordinates of tie-points(TPs) are solved according to least squares theory. The number of the ground control points(GCPs) is reduced. The airborne InSAR block adjustment experiment was done using self-developed Airborne InSAR Block Adjustment Software System. The 76 airborne InSAR images which are 0.5 m resolution and cover an area of 472 square kilometers generated a block of 4 strips and 19 rows with approximately 30% overlap between adjacent strips. The study site is located in in Jiangyou Sichuan province and characterized by a hilly topography. The result meets DEM and DOM mapping accuracy requirements at scale of 1:10000

This paper exploits a natural experiment that produces exogenous variation on credit access to determine the effect on college enrollment. The paper assess how important are credit constraints to explain the gap in college enrollment by family income, and what would be the gap if credit constraints are eliminated. Progress in college and dropout…

We analyze the constraints on the the vacuum polarization of the standard model gauge bosons from a minimal set of flavor observables valid for a general class of models of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking. We will show that the constraints have a strong impact on the self-coupling and...

Concurrent engineering is a systematic approach to the integrated, concurrent design of products and their related processes, including manufacture and support. It allows the consideration of all elements of the product's life cycle, from conception through disposal, including quality, cost, manufacturing, and customer requirements. Constraint networks as an approach to concurrent engineering provides considerable advantages over the conventional approaches to improve engineering. Constraint ...

Constraints play a vital role as both restrainers and enablers in innovation processes by governing what the creative agent/s can and cannot do, and what the output can and cannot be. Notions of constraints are common in creativity research, but current contributions are highly dispersed due to n...

A close similarity is demonstrated between context comprehension, such as discourse analysis, and constraint programming. The constraint store takes the role of a growing knowledge base learned throughout the discourse, and a suitable con- straint solver does the job of incorporating new pieces...

The present work is to design a passive pitch-control mechanism for small horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) to generate stable power at high wind speeds. The mechanism uses a disk pulley as an actuator to passivelyadjust the pitch angle of blades by centrifugal force. For this design, aerodynamic braking is caused by the adjustment of pitch angles at high wind speeds. As a marked advantage, this does not require mechanical brakes that would incur electrical burn-out and structural failure ...

The electronic model describing the electrochemical micromachining (ECMM) of passive electrodes utilizing the transpassive dissolution is discussed. Numerical simulations are performed on a machining model circuit using measured electrochemical properties of the model system which consisted of a tungsten tool electrode, a 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte and a stainless steel work piece electrode. The results of these simulations were verified by performing machining experiments applying the same model system. For a passive stainless steel electrode it is shown that it can be treated like an actively dissolving electrode with high reaction overpotential. The efficiency of the machining process can be enhanced by polarizing the steel work piece electrode close to the transpassive potential region. Three different ways of achieving this polarization are discussed: by polarizing the work piece electrode only, by polarizing both electrodes and by adding oxidizing species to the electrolyte solution

Fault tolerance theorems state that it is possible to construct reliable (active) memories from unreliable components given resources such ass fresh ancillas. Furthermore, recent proposals claim that some many-body Hamiltonians may act as passive memories, asymptotically allowing reliable storage of quantum information. We explore different error models for such Hamiltonians and information encodings and obtain some no-go results in the absence of entropy extraction mechanisms.

In 1994, a group of European Utilities, together with Westinghouse and its Industrial Partner GENESI (an Italian consortium including ANSALDO and FIAT), initiated a program designated EPP (European Passive Plant) to evaluate Westinghouse Passive Nuclear Plant Technology for application in Europe. In Phase I of the European Passive Plant Program which was completed in 1996, a 1000 MWe passive plant reference design (EP1000) was established which conforms to the European Utility Requirements (EUR) and is expected to meet the European Safety Authorities requirements. Phase 2 of the program was initiated in 1997 with the objective of developing the Nuclear Island design details and performing supporting analyses to start development of Safety Case Report (SCR) for submittal to European Licensing Authorities. The first part of Phase 2, 'Design Definition' phase (Phase 2A) will be completed at the end of 1998, the main efforts being design definition of key systems and structures, development of the Nuclear Island layout, and performing preliminary safety analyses to support design efforts. The second part, 'Phase 2B', includes both the analyses and evaluations required to demonstrate the adequacy of the design, and to support the preparation of Safety Case Report. The second part of Phase 2 of the program will start at the beginning of 1999 and will be completed in the 2001. Incorporation of the EUR has been a key design requirement for the EP1000 from the beginning of the program. Detailed design solutions to meet the EUR have been defined and the safety approach has also been developed based on the EUR guidelines. This paper integrates and updates the plant description reported in the IAEA TECDOC-968. The most significant developments of the EP1000 plant design during Phase 2A of the EPP program are described and reference is made to the key design requirements set by the EUR Rev. B document. (author)

Full Text Available A passive linkage mechanism is used for increasing the mobile performance of a wheeled vehicle on uneven ground. The mechanism changes its shape according to the terrain and enables all the wheels to remain grounded while the vehicle operates over rough terrain. This means that the shape of the passive linkage mechanism must correspond to that of the terrain surface, so that the vehicle can estimate the shape of the surface while passing over it. This paper proposes a new terrain- surface estimation scheme that uses a passive linkage mechanism. Our key concept is to enable changes in the vehicle body’s configuration to correspond to those in the terrain’s shape. Using this concept, our mobile platform estimates the shape of terrain surfaces without using external sensors; the estimated surface shapes are used to adjust the reference velocities of individual wheels, thereby improving the mobile performance of the vehicle. We test our proposed scheme by experiments using a prototype vehicle.

Full Text Available One of the main challenges in the realization of time-delayed bilateral teleoperators is the stable adaptation of transparency when the remote environmental dynamics are time-varying. In this paper, we propose a bilateral control strategy that passivelyadjusts the transparency of the system when the slave robot transitions between two different environments. The proposed controller exploits the effect that the wave impedance (a design parameter of the passivity-based scattering transformation has on transparency without comprising closed-loop stability, regardless of time-varying communication delays. To properly adjust transparency, the control scheme smoothly switches the wave impedance parameter between a low value, ideal for free motion, and a sufficiently large value, suited for hard-contact tasks. We show that, by adopting this strategy, the transmitted impedance to the operator approximates more closely the environmental impedance value. Furthermore, we theoretically prove master-slave position coordination and force tracking under different scenarios. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Full Text Available The Reflexive Passive in Icelandic is reminiscent of the so-called New Passive (or New Impersonal in that the oblique case of a passivized object NP is preserved. As is shown by recent surveys, however, speakers who accept the Reflexive Passive do not necessarily accept the New Passive, whereas conversely, speakers who accept the New Passive do also accept the Reflexive Passive. Based on these results we suggest that there is a hierarchy in the acceptance of passive sentences in Icelandic, termed the Passive Acceptability Hierarchy. The validity of this hierarchy is confirmed by our diachronic corpus study of open access digital library texts from Icelandic journals and newspapers dating from the 19th and 20th centuries (tímarit.is. Finally, we sketch an analysis of the Reflexive Passive, proposing that the different acceptability rates of the Reflexive and New Passives lie in the argument status of the object. Simplex reflexive pronouns are semantically dependent on the verbs which select them, and should therefore be analyzed as syntactic arguments only, and not as semantic arguments of these verbs.

We compute the temperature and IR signal of particles of radius a and albedo α at heliocentric distance R, taking into account the emissivity effect, and give an interpolating formula for the result. We compare with analyses of COBE DIRBE data by others (including recent detection of the cosmic IR background) for various values of heliocentric distance R, particle radius a, and particle albedo α. We then apply these results to a recently developed picture of the Kuiper belt as a two-sector disk with a nearby, low-density sector (40< R<50 endash 90 AU) and a more distant sector with a higher density. We consider the case in which passage through a molecular cloud essentially cleans the solar system of dust. We apply a simple model of dust production by comet collisions and removal by the Poynting-Robertson effect to find limits on total and dust masses in the near and far sectors as a function of time since such a passage. Finally, we compare Kuiper belt IR spectra for various parameter values. Results of this work include: (1) numerical limits on Kuiper belt dust as a function of (R, a, α) on the basis of four alternative sets of constraints, including those following from recent discovery of the cosmic IR background by Hauser et al.; (2) application to the two-sector Kuiper belt model, finding mass limits and spectrum shape for different values of relevant parameters including dependence on time elapsed since last passage through a molecular cloud cleared the outer solar system of dust; and (3) potential use of spectral information to determine time since last passage of the Sun through a giant molecular cloud. copyright copyright 1999. The American Astronomical Society

Full Text Available This case study was carried out in the English Education Department of State University of Malang. The aim of the study was to identify and describe the vocabulary in the reading text and to seek if the text is useful for reading skill development. A descriptive qualitative design was applied to obtain the data. For this purpose, some available computer programs were used to find the description of vocabulary in the texts. It was found that the 20 texts containing 7,945 words are dominated by low frequency words which account for 16.97% of the words in the texts. The high frequency words occurring in the texts were dominated by function words. In the case of word levels, it was found that the texts have very limited number of words from GSL (General Service List of English Words (West, 1953. The proportion of the first 1,000 words of GSL only accounts for 44.6%. The data also show that the texts contain too large proportion of words which are not in the three levels (the first 2,000 and UWL. These words account for 26.44% of the running words in the texts.Â It is believed that the constraints are due to the selection of the texts which are made of a series of short-unrelated texts. This kind of text is subject to the accumulation of low frequency words especially those of content words and limited of words from GSL. It could also defeat the development of students' reading skills and vocabulary enrichment.

Full Text Available The importance of supporting the early stages of design is widely accepted. In particular, the development of supportive tools and methods for modelling and analysis of evolving design solutions present a difficult challenge. One reason for this is the need to model both the product design and the design knowledge from which the design is created. There are a number of limitations with many existing techniques and an alternative approach that deals with the design constraints themselves is presented. Dealing directly with the constraints affords a more generalised approach that represents the process by which a product is designed. This enables modelling and reasoning about a product from an often abstract and evolving set of requirements. The constraint methodology is an iterative process where the design requirements are elaborated, the constraint rules altered, design ideas generated and tested as functional structures. The incorporation of direct search techniques to solve the constrained problem enables different solutions to be explored and allows the determination of ‘best compromises’ for related constraints. A constraint modelling environment is discussed and two example cases are used to demonstrate the potential of a constraint-aided approach for supporting important issues such as the design of product variants and product families.

This paper presents an experimental investigation in to operating of thermal protection device behavior from an MCCB (Molded Case Circuit Breaker). One of the main functions of the circuit breaker is to assure protection for the circuits where mounted in for possible overloads of the circuit. The tripping mechanism for the overload protection is based on a bimetal movement during a specific time frame. This movement needs to be controlled and as a solution to control this movement we choose the warm adjustment concept. This concept is meant to improve process capability control and final output. The warm adjustment device design will create a unique adjustment of the bimetal position for each individual breaker, determined when the testing current will flow thru a phase which needs to trip in a certain amount of time. This time is predetermined due to scientific calculation for all standard types of amperages and complies with the IEC 60497 standard requirements.

The manipulation and constraint equations are established by considering the pure rolling motion in a dexterous hand as two passive joints. According to mapping relation among the motion of the system, the differential kinematics and mobility are studied. The minimal structure for realizing the task motion of the object is obtained, and the conditions for dexterous manipulation are presented. Finally, some rolling manipulations are used as examples to demonstrate the applicability of approach proposed.

@@ Ministry of Finance, Central Administration of Customs, and State Administration of Taxation of P.R. of China jointly issued a "Notice on the Lists Related to the Interim Provisions on the Adjustment of Import Tax Policy on Major Technical Equipment" (the Notice) on April 13rd to adjust the list of equipment catalog and merchandise attached to the "Interim Provisions on the Import Tax Policy on Major Technical Equipment", as well as the preferential scope and extent of the import tax on a number of major technical equipment.

We present a constraint-based morphological disambiguation system in which individual constraints vote on matching morphological parses, and disambiguation of all the tokens in a sentence is performed at the end by selecting parses that receive the highest votes. This constraint application paradigm makes the outcome of the disambiguation independent of the rule sequence, and hence relieves the rule developer from worrying about potentially conflicting rule sequencing. Our results for disambiguating Turkish indicate that using about 500 constraint rules and some additional simple statistics, we can attain a recall of 95-96% and a precision of 94-95% with about 1.01 parses per token. Our system is implemented in Prolog and we are currently investigating an efficient implementation based on finite state transducers.

A widely adopted approach to solving constraint satisfaction problems combines systematic tree search with various degrees of constraint propagation for pruning the search space. One common technique to improve the execution efficiency is to add redundant constraints, which are constraints logically implied by others in the problem model. However, some redundant constraints are propagation redundant and hence do not contribute additional propagation information to the constraint solver. Redun...

This paper introduces an extension of Answer Set Programming called Preference Set Constraint Programming which is a convenient and general formalism to reason with preferences. PSC programming extends Set Constraint Programming introduced by Marek and Remmel (Marek and Remmel 2004) by introducing two types of preference set constraint atoms, measure preference set constraint atoms and pre-ordered preference set constraint atoms, which are extensions of set constraint atoms. We show that the ...

The SME sector is often hailed as an important engine of economic growth. But recent research suggests that young rather than small firms are the main contributors to employment growth. This paper shows that young firms are also key contributors to profit growth across advanced economies. It them examines the impact of financial constraints on profitability across the age distribution of SMEs. We find that start-ups which report finance as their greatest constraint receive smaller new loans a...

We suggest that variation in mammalian behavioural flexibility not accounted for by current socioecological models may be explained in part by developmental constraints. From our own work, we provide examples of constraints affecting variation in behavioural flexibility, not only among individuals, but also among species and higher taxonomic units. We first implicate organizational maternal effects of androgens in shaping individual differences in aggressive behaviour emitted by female spotte...

International audience We study a benchmark model with collateral constraints and heterogeneous discounting. Contrarily to a rich literature on borrowing limits, we allow for rental markets. By incorporating this missing market, we show that impatient agents choose to rent rather than to own the collateral in the neighborhood of the deterministic steady state. Consequently, impatient agents are not indebted and borrowing constraints play no role in local dynamics.

An influential thesis, dubbed "Doing well by doing good," argues that corporate social responsibility is profitable. But heterogeneity in firm financial constraints can induce a spurious correlation between profits and goodness even if the motives for goodness are non-profit in nature. We use two identification strategies to show that financial constraints are indeed an important driver of corporate goodness. First, during the Internet bubble, previously constrained firms experienced a tempor...

We present a formal method of verifying designs with unknown constraints (e. g. , black boxes) using Boolean satisfiability (SAT). This method is based on a new encoding scheme of unknown constraints, and solves the corresponding conjunctive normal form (CNF) formulas. Furthermore, this method can avoid the potential memory explosion, which the binary decision diagram (BDD) based techniques maybe suffer from, thus it has the capacity of verifying large designs. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and feasibility of the proposed method.

A new contracted CI scheme——adjustable contracted CI scheme——is presented and programed. The efficiency of this scheme is tested by some example calculations. The result shows that the application of the new scheme is flexible and the correlation energy loss is lower than that of the original externally contracted CI method.

Self-adjusting computation offers a language-based approach to writing programs that automatically respond to dynamically changing data. Recent work made significant progress in developing sound semantics and associated implementations of self-adjusting computation for high-level, functional languages. These techniques, however, do not address issues that arise for low-level languages, i.e., stack-based imperative languages that lack strong type systems and automatic memory management. In this paper, we describe techniques for self-adjusting computation which are suitable for low-level languages. Necessarily, we take a different approach than previous work: instead of starting with a high-level language with additional primitives to support self-adjusting computation, we start with a low-level intermediate language, whose semantics is given by a stack-based abstract machine. We prove that this semantics is sound: it always updates computations in a way that is consistent with full reevaluation. We give a comp...

In this paper, first a review of the terminology used in the model adjustment or updating is presented. This is followed by an outline of the major updating algorithms cuurently available, together with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each, and the current state-of-the-art of this important application and part of optimum design technology.

The mathematical foundations of a new theory for the design of intelligent agents are presented. The proposed learning paradigm is centered around the concept of constraint, representing the interactions with the environment, and the parsimony principle. The classical regularization framework of kernel machines is naturally extended to the case in which the agents interact with a richer environment, where abstract granules of knowledge, compactly described by different linguistic formalisms, can be translated into the unified notion of constraint for defining the hypothesis set. Constrained variational calculus is exploited to derive general representation theorems that provide a description of the optimal body of the agent (i.e., the functional structure of the optimal solution to the learning problem), which is the basis for devising new learning algorithms. We show that regardless of the kind of constraints, the optimal body of the agent is a support constraint machine (SCM) based on representer theorems that extend classical results for kernel machines and provide new representations. In a sense, the expressiveness of constraints yields a semantic-based regularization theory, which strongly restricts the hypothesis set of classical regularization. Some guidelines to unify continuous and discrete computational mechanisms are given so as to accommodate in the same framework various kinds of stimuli, for example, supervised examples and logic predicates. The proposed view of learning from constraints incorporates classical learning from examples and extends naturally to the case in which the examples are subsets of the input space, which is related to learning propositional logic clauses. PMID:25380338

The phenomenon of mode instabilities has quickly become the most limiting effect for a further scaling of the average power of fiber laser systems. Consequently it is of great importance to find solutions for this problem. In this work we propose two concrete possible passive mitigation strategies: the first one is based on the reduction of the heat load in the fiber, whereas the second one is based on the reduction of the pump absorption. In both cases a significant increase of the threshold is expected.

Full Text Available In this paper the authors introduce systems in which customers are served by one active server and a group of passive servers. The calculation of response time for such systems is rendered by analyzing a special kind of queueing system in a synchronized random environment. For an embedded Markov chain, sufficient conditions for the existence of a stationary distribution are proved. A formula for the corresponding vector generating function is obtained. It is a matrix analog of the Pollaczek-Khinchin formula and is simultaneously a matrix functional equation. A method for solving this equation is proposed.

In this paper, we study the passivity analysis for a class of neutral-type BAM neural networks with time-varying delays and randomly occurring uncertainties as well as generalized activation functions. Linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach together with the construction of proper Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional involving triple integrals and augmented type constraint is implemented to derive a new set of sufficient conditions for obtaining the required result. More precisely, first we derive the passivity condition for BAM neural networks without uncertainties and then the result is extended to the case with randomly occurring uncertainties. In particular, the presented results depend not only upon discrete delay but also distributed time varying delay. The obtained passivity conditions are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities that can be easily solved by using the MATLAB-LMI toolbox. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed passivity criterion is demonstrated through numerical example.

1. The rabbit Na+-glucose (SGLT1) and the human Na+-Cl--GABA (GAT1) cotransporters were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and passive Na+ and water transport were studied using electrical and optical techniques. Passive water permeabilities (Lp) of the cotransporters were determined from...... the low Ea for water transport is similar to that of water channels (aquaporins). 4. GAT1 also behaved as an SKF89976A-sensitive water channel. We did not observe passive Na+ transport through GAT1. 5. We conclude that passive water and Na+ transport through cotransporters depend on different mechanisms...... the Lp of control oocytes. Passive Na+ transport (Na+ leak) was obtained from the blocker-sensitive Na+ currents in the absence of substrates (glucose and GABA). 2. Passive Na+ and water transport through SGLT1 were blocked by phlorizin with the same sensitivity (inhibitory constant (Ki), 3-5 micro...

I present a new, simple method to dynamically control the growth of the discretized constraints during a free evolution of Einstein's equations. During an evolution, any given family of formulations is adjusted off the constraints surface in a way such that, for any chosen numerical method and arbitrary but fixed resolution, the constraints growth can be minimized with respect to the freedom allowed by the formulation. In particular, provided there is enough freedom, the discretized constraints can be maintained close to its initial truncation value for all times, or decay from it. No a priori knowledge of the solution is needed, and the method can be applied to any formulation of Einstein's equations without affecting hyperbolicity. This method is independent of the numerical algorithm and accounts for constraint violating modes introduced both by continuum instabilities of the formulation and by the numerical method.

We use lookback time versus redshift data from galaxy clusters (Capozziello et al., 2004 ) and passively evolving galaxies (Simon et al., 2005 ), and apply a Bayesian prior on the total age of the Universe based on WMAP measurements, to constrain dark energy cosmological model parameters. Current lookback time data provide interesting and moderately restrictive constraints on cosmological parameters. When used jointly with current baryon acoustic peak and Type Ia supernovae apparent magnitude versus redshift data, lookback time data tighten the constraints on parameters and favor slightly smaller values of the nonrelativistic matter energy density.

An adaptive passive strategy for controlling uncertain Lü system is proposed. Since the uncertain Lü system is minimum phase and the uncertain parameters are from a bounded compact set, the essential conditions are studied by which uncertain Lü system could be equivalent to a passive system, and the adaptive control law is given. Using passive theory, the uncertain Lü system could be globally asymptotically stabilized at different equilibria by the smooth state feedback.

Columbia County Habitat for Humanity (CCHH) (New York, Climate Zone 5A) built a pair of townhomes to Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS+ 2015) criteria to explore approaches for achieving Passive House performance (specifically with respect to exterior wall, space-conditioning, and ventilation strategies) within the labor and budget context inherent in a Habitat for Humanity project. CCHH’s goal is to eventually develop a cost-justified Passive House prototype design for future projects.

This paper examines experiences with the diffusion of the passive house concept, applied to the situation of ‘emerging’ countries like Belgium and the Netherlands. Adopter categories considering the passive house concept are defined. A marketing study based on Rogers’ theory of diffusion of innovations highlights the characteristics of actors leading to technological and process innovation. The paper draws conclusions on the preferred role of passive house networks.

The light water passive plants program (PCNP), today Advanced Nuclear Power Plants Program (PCNA), was constituted in order to reach the goals of the Spanish Electrical Sector in the field of advanced nuclear power plants, optimize the efforts of all Spanish initiatives, and increase joint presence in international projects. The last update of this program, featured in revision 5th of the Program Report, reflects the consolidation of the Spanish sector's presence in International programs of the advanced power plants on the basis of the practically concluded American ALWR program. Since the beginning of the program , the PCNP relies on financing from the Electrical sector, Ocide, SEPI-Endesa, Westinghouse, General Electric, as well as from the industrial cooperators, Initec, UTE (Initec- Empresarios Agrupados), Ciemat, Enusa, Ensa and Tecnatom. The program is made up of the following projects, already concluded: - EPRI's Advanced Light Water Plants Certification Project - Westinghouse's AP600 Project - General Electric's SBWR Project (presently paralyzed) and ABWR project Currently, the following project are under development, at different degrees of advance: - EPP project (European Passive Plant) - EBWR project (European Advanced Boiling Water Reactor)

Passive electroreception is a sensory modality in many aquatic vertebrates, predominantly fishes. Using passive electroreception, the animal can detect and analyze electric fields in its environment. Most electric fields in the environment are of biogenic origin, often produced by prey items. These electric fields can be relatively strong and can be a highly valuable source of information for a predator, as underlined by the fact that electroreception has evolved multiple times independently. The only mammals that possess electroreception are the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and the echidnas (Tachyglossidae) from the monotreme order, and, recently discovered, the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) from the cetacean order. Here we review the morphology, function and origin of the electroreceptors in the two aquatic species, the platypus and the Guiana dolphin. The morphology shows certain similarities, also similar to ampullary electroreceptors in fishes, that provide cues for the search for electroreceptors in more vertebrate and invertebrate species. The function of these organs appears to be very similar. Both species search for prey animals in low-visibility conditions or while digging in the substrate, and sensory thresholds are within one order of magnitude. The electroreceptors in both species are innervated by the trigeminal nerve. The origin of the accessory structures, however, is completely different; electroreceptors in the platypus have developed from skin glands, in the Guiana dolphin, from the vibrissal system. PMID:23187861

We can postulate that dark matter are WIMPS, more specifically, Majorana particles called neutralinos floating through space. Upon neutralino-neutralino annihilation, they create a greater burst of other particles into space: these being all kinds of particles including anti-deuterons which are the indications of the existence of dark matter. For the study of the applications of passivated silicon detectors, this paper shows following procedures in two categories. Painting on little pieces of silicon (Polyimid and Boxcar Red) :Took clean paint brush and painted on Polyimid and Boxcar red samples onto little pieces of sample silicon and dried for a certain number of hours in different conditions. Cooling test : usually done in 7 cycles, cool until usually -35 degrees or -40 degrees Celsius with thermoelectric cooler, dry out, evapate the moisture in the fume hood, take pictures with the microscope and check for irregularities every 1, 4 and 7 times. The results show us how the passivated silicon will act in the real experiment--the vacuum chamber and x-rays (from the radioactive source), and different atmospheric pressures simulate what it will be like in space.

Economic methodologies developed over the past several years for the design of residential solar systems have been based on life cycle cost (LCC) minimization. Because of uncertainties involving future economic conditions and the varied decision making processes of home designers, builders, and owners, LCC design approaches are not always appropriate. To deal with some of the constraints that enter the design process, and to narrow the number of variables to those that do not depend on future economic conditions, a simplified thermal and cost goal approach for passive designs is presented. Arithmetic and graphical approaches are presented with examples given for each. Goals discussed include simple payback, solar savings fraction, collection area, maximum allowable construction budget, variable cost goals, and Btu savings.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This proposal describes the preliminary development of passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) based humidity sensors for NASA application to distributed...

Due to the different lighting environments or other reasons, the pixel colors may be quite different in one image which causes distinct visual discontinuities. It makes the analysis and processing of such an image more difficult and sometime impossible. In this paper, a unified multi-toning image adjustment method is proposed to solve this problem. First, a novel unsupervised clustering method was proposed to partition the source and the target image into a certain number of subsets with similar color statistics. By matching the texture characteristics and luminance distribution between the blocks, it can create optimized correspondence. Then, the color information was transferred from the matched pixels in the source blocks to the target ones. Graph cut method was used to optimize the seams between different subsets in the final step. This method can automatically perform color adjustment of a multi-toning image. It is simple and efficient. Various results show the validity of this method.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of isokinetic passive exercise and motion velocity on passive stiffness. In addition, we also discuss the effects of the contraction of agonist and antagonist muscles on passive stiffness. [Subjects] The subjects were 20 healthy men with no bone or joint disease. [Methods] Isokinetic passive exercise and isometric muscle contraction were performed on an isokinetic dynamometer. The angular acceleration measured by the accelerom...

Adjustable compliance or variable stiffness actuators comprise an additional element to elastically decouple the actuator from the load and are increasingly applied to human-centered robotic systems. The advantages of such actuators are of paramount importance in rehabilitation robotics, where requirements demand safe interaction between the therapy system and the patient. Compliant actuator systems enable the minimization of large contact forces arising, for example, from muscular spasticity...

The parental role is expected to be one of the most gratifying and rewarding roles in life. As expectations of parenting become ever higher, the implications of parenting perfectionism for parental adjustment warrant investigation. Using longitudinal data from 182 couples, this study examined the associations between societal- and self-oriented parenting perfectionism and new mothers’ and fathers’ parenting self-efficacy, stress, and satisfaction. For mothers, societal-oriented parenting perf...

Technique of measuring intensity distribution and size of spot image developed has been discussed, which is especially suitable for defocus adjustment in ground test of star tracker. A novel approach for choosing a proper defocusing position has been proposed based on collimator, Gaussian surface fitting method, and other ordinary instruments. It proves to be practical and adequate in the development of distant object tracking such as star tracker.Defence Science Journal, 2010, 60(6), pp.678-...

If values of variables in a numerical model are limited to specified ranges, these restrictions should be enforced when data are assimilated. The simplest option is to assimilate without regard for constraints and then to correct any violations without worrying about additional corrections implied by correlated errors. This paper addresses the incorporation of inequality constraints into the standard variational framework of optimal interpolation with emphasis on our limited knowledge of the underlying probability distributions. Simple examples involving only two or three variables are used to illustrate graphically how active constraints can be treated as error-free data when background errors obey a truncated multi-normal distribution. Using Lagrange multipliers, the formalism is expanded to encompass the active constraints. Two algorithms are presented, both relying on a solution ignoring the inequality constraints to discover violations to be enforced. While explicitly enforcing a subset can, via correlations, correct the others, pragmatism based on our poor knowledge of the underlying probability distributions suggests the expedient of enforcing them all explicitly to avoid the computationally expensive task of determining the minimum active set. If additional violations are encountered with these solutions, the process can be repeated. Simple examples are used to illustrate the algorithms and to examine the nature of the corrections implied by correlated errors.

Passive voice is an important grammatical category in language learning while it varies in different languages.In order to diminish the negative impact on L1 transfer and maintain the originality of passive voice in L2 learning,this essay centers on the grammatical differences of passive voice both in English and Chinese and propose practical teaching strategies.

Beaked whales can remain submerged for an hour or more and are difficult to sight when they come to the surface to breathe. Passive acoustic detection (PAD) not only complements traditional visual-based methods for detecting these species but also can be more effective because beaked whales produce clicks regularly to echolocate on prey during deep foraging dives. The effectiveness of PAD for beaked whales depends not only on the acoustic behavior and output of the animals but also on environmental conditions and the quality of the passive sonar implemented. A primary constraint on the range at which beaked whale clicks can be detected involves their high frequencies, which attenuate rapidly, resulting in limited ranges of detection, especially in adverse environmental conditions. Given current knowledge of source parameters and in good conditions, for example, with a wind speed of 2 ms, a receiver close to the surface should be able to detect acoustically Cuvier's beaked whales with a high probability at distances up to 0.7 km, provided the listening duration exceeds the deep dive interval, about 2.5 h on average. Detection ranges beyond 4 km are unlikely and would require low ambient noise or special sound propagation conditions. PMID:19045770

When Ariane 5 ECA development has been decided by Europe to increase Ariane 5 performance, the rule of 25 years in GTO orbit for the upper stage has been anticipated. This was 14 years ago and this rule was known to be satisfied with a perigee lower than 250 km. Even when lowering slightly Ariane 5 ECA performance, this maximum perigee altitude has been held and the whole Launch System has been developed under CNES responsibility with this GTO perigee. In the meantime, more precise calculations demonstrated that such a GTO perigee was giving for the ESCA a mean lifetime higher than 25 years. So studies are in progress inside CNES to decrease the perigee and re-enter inside the 25 years lifetime domain. This paper presents a CNES study to reduce the orbital lifetime of Ariane 5's upper stage that last in GTO after each commercial mission. Usually the aimed orbit has a perigee altitude of 250 km, an apogee altitude near to the geostationary position and an inclination between 2° and 7°. These conditions make stage's mean lifetime superior to 90 years. The CNES study is to expose the possibility to decrease this lifetime by reducing the perigee altitude of the final upper stage orbit through a passivation process optimised to produce orbit modification. It is shown that taking into account material and functional stage constraints the optimised passivation process is able to decrease the perigee by a few tenths of kilometres.

Although higher social class carries mental and physical health benefits, these advantages are less robust among members of racial and ethnic minority groups than among European Americans. We explore whether differential reactions to discrimination may be a factor in explaining why. Working-class and middle-class Latino American women engaged in an evaluative interaction with a European American woman who rejected them and held either prejudiced or unprejudiced attitudes. We examined how part...

The registration of long-strip, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point clouds is a prerequisite for various engineering tasks, including tunnels, bridges, and roads. An artificial target-based registration method is proposed in this paper to automatically calculate registration parameters (i.e., rotation, translation) of scanned pairs without initial estimations. The approach is based on the well-known Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) method and effectively searches the point cloud for corres...

Background. Understanding the dose-response of the lung in order to minimize the risk of radiation pneumonitis (RP) is critical for optimization of lung cancer radiotherapy. We propose a method to combine the dose-response relationship for RP in the landmark QUANTEC paper with known clinical risk...... for a patient without pulmonary co-morbidities, caudally located tumor, no history of smoking,...

We investigated whether attention could be modulated through the implicit learning of temporal information in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task. Participants identified two target letters among numeral distractors. The stimulus-onset asynchrony immediately following the first target (SOA1) varied at three levels (70, 98, and 126 ms) randomly between trials or fixed within blocks of trials. Practice over 3 consecutive days resulted in a continuous improvement in the identification...

In many application areas, it is necessary to make effective decisions under constraints. Several area-specific techniques are known for such decision problems; however, because these techniques are area-specific, it is not easy to apply each technique to other applications areas. Cross-fertilization between different application areas is one of the main objectives of the annual International Workshops on Constraint Programming and Decision Making. Those workshops, held in the US (El Paso, Texas), in Europe (Lyon, France), and in Asia (Novosibirsk, Russia), from 2008 to 2012, have attracted researchers and practitioners from all over the world. This volume presents extended versions of selected papers from those workshops. These papers deal with all stages of decision making under constraints: (1) formulating the problem of multi-criteria decision making in precise terms, (2) determining when the corresponding decision problem is algorithmically solvable; (3) finding the corresponding algorithms, and making...

Stability aspects have often been incorporated in the electricity market dispatch/pricing procedure using trial-and-error methods, or approximated in the dispatch optimisation directly as a set of linear constraints on generation/transmission. This paper presents the preliminary experiences with the development of a market optimal power flow (OPF) model that incorporates both transient and voltage stability constraints. The resultant dispatch and prices are expected to exhibit the impact of accurately modelled stability limits that are hitherto largely unknown. This model allows integrated representation of both voltage and transient stability. It, however, entails very significant computational complexities. A complete resolution of all these issues is beyond the scope of this paper, although some initial thoughts to simplify computation are discussed. The importance of stability constraints on market dispatch and prices is discussed around a simple 9-bus system example. (author)

Functional constraints and bi-functional constraints are an important constraint class in Constraint Programming (CP) systems, in particular for Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) systems. CP systems with finite domain constraints usually employ CSP-based solvers which use local consistency, for example, arc consistency. We introduce a new approach which is based instead on variable substitution. We obtain efficient algorithms for reducing systems involving functional and bi-functional constraints together with other non-functional constraints. It also solves globally any CSP where there exists a variable such that any other variable is reachable from it through a sequence of functional constraints. Our experiments on random problems show that variable elimination can significantly improve the efficiency of solving problems with functional constraints.

We study the spectroscopic properties and environments of red spiral galaxies found by the Galaxy Zoo project. By carefully selecting face-on, disk dominated spirals we construct a sample of truly passive disks (not dust reddened, nor dominated by old stellar populations in a bulge). As such, our red spirals represent an interesting set of possible transition objects between normal blue spirals and red early types. We use SDSS data to investigate the physical processes which could have turned these objects red without disturbing their morphology. Red spirals prefer intermediate density regimes, however there are no obvious correlations between red spiral properties and environment - environment alone is not sufficient to determine if a galaxy will become a red spiral. Red spirals are a small fraction of spirals at low masses, but dominate at large stellar masses - massive galaxies are red independent of morphology. We confirm that red spirals have older stellar populations and less recent star formation than ...

Thermovision is known physical phenomenon based on emission of electromagnetic fields by each body with temperature above than absolute zero. This emission is called, for the sake of the length of the wave, infrared emission and for the sake of its property - thermoemission. Intensity of thermoemission is proportional to the temperature of the body. So, during measurement of infrared emission of the body there is possible to indirect measure its temperature. Characteristic application of the thermovision can be usage of thermoemission radiated by moving object for its localization. The conception of passive navigational system working on the basis of thermovision cameras has been presented. There has been assumed, that at least two cameras placed on the land are used for detection and tracking objects emitting infrared waves.

Forced advection of passive tracer, $\\theta $, in nonlinear relaxational medium by large scale (Batchelor problem) incompressible velocity field at scales less than the correlation length of the flow and larger than the diffusion scale is considered. Effective theory explaining small scale scalar fluctuations is proven to be linear, asymptotic free (downscales from the scale of the pumping) and universal. Only three parameters are required to decribe exhaustively the small scale statistics of scalar difference: two velocity-dependent ones, average and dispersion ($\\bar{\\lambda}$ and $\\Delta $ respectively) of the exponential stretching rate of a trial line element, and fluctuations. $\\alpha $ is an explicit functional of potential chracterized medium nonlinearity and amplitude of $\\theta ^{2}$ flux pumped into the system. Structure functions show an extremely anomalous, intermittent behavior: $ \\sim r^{\\xi_{q}}, \\xi_{q} = \\min {q,\\sqrt{[

A passive and wireless sensor is provided for sensing at least one of magnetic field, temperature or humidity. The sensor can provide only one of the sensing functions, individually or any combination of them simultaneously. It can be used for various applications where magnetic field changes, temperature and/or humidity need to be measured. In one or more embodiments, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor is provided that can measure one or more of a magnetic field (or current that generates the magnetic field), temperature and humidity. In one or more embodiments, a magnetoimpedence (MI) sensor (for example a thin film giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) sensor), a thermally sensitive (for example a Lithium Niobite (LiNbO.sub.3)) substrate, and a humidity sensitive film (for example a hydrogel film) can be used as sensing elements.

This special section stemmed from a symposium on biological constraints on learning that was organized for the XVII Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Comparative Psychology in Bogotá, Colombia, September 2014. The symposium sought to revisit the topic of biological constraints on learning. Such is the aim of this special section as well, guided by the conviction that the topic demands further study. Some of the most important researchers in the area were invited to contribu...

Full Text Available We suggest that viroids are trapped into adaptive peaks as the result of adaptive constraints. The first one is imposed by the necessity to fold into packed structures to escape from RNA silencing. This creates antagonistic epistases, which make future adaptive trajectories contingent upon the first mutation and slow down the rate of adaptation. This second constraint can only be surpassed by increasing genetic redundancy or by recombination. Eigen’s paradox imposes a limit to the increase in genome complexity in the absence of mechanisms reducing mutation rate. Therefore, recombination appears as the only possible route to evolutionary innovation in viroids.

Systems and methods for passive thermal management of foil bearing systems are disclosed herein. The flow of the hydrodynamic film across the surface of bearing compliant foils may be disrupted to provide passive cooling and to improve the performance and reliability of the foil bearing system.

Passive phase conjugation of up to six lines (457, 476, 488, 496, 501, and 514 nm) of the all lines output of an argon ion laser is reported. Imaging characteristics and reflectivity measurements are given. In general, multiline operation results in some loss in both reflectivity and image resolution. This work opens the possibility for passive phase conjugation of full color images.

This paper examines experiences with the diffusion of the passive house concept, applied to the situation of ‘emerging’ countries like Belgium and the Netherlands. Adopter categories considering the passive house concept are defined. A marketing study based on Rogers’ theory of diffusion of innovati

The implications for consumption and saving behaviour are explored, when households are allowed to borrow, but face penalties which increase with the amount borrowed. It is shown that the introduction of this type of constraints (soft liquidity constraints) does not lead to consumers behaving very differently from consumers who face constraints which prevent them from borrowing at any time (hard liquidity constraints). However, when hard constraints are relaxed and become soft, the amount of ...

We provide a dynamic programming principle for stochastic optimal control problems with expectation constraints. A weak formulation, using test functions and a probabilistic relaxation of the constraint, avoids restrictions related to a measurable selection but still implies the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation in the viscosity sense. We treat open state constraints as a special case of expectation constraints and prove a comparison theorem to obtain the equation for closed state constraints.

The paper discusses inherent failure modes of passive safety systems and their influence on passive system reliability. With 'inherent failures' means a failure of the system to perform its intended function due to physical reasons and/or phenomena. Such phenomena may occur inside the system, or be due to an external cause. Focus will be on passive cooling or heat removal systems that rely on natural circulation or stored pressure energy. The paper discusses the physical mechanisms due to which system malfunctions can arise, gives examples of phenomenological analyses for several model systems that are typical to proposed advanced passive reactors, discusses various external influences that may cause system malfunctions (drawing insights from operational experience of current plants), and concludes with a discussion of the relevance of such phenomena regarding the reliability of passive safety systems. This work shows that the reliability of passive systems can be strongly influenced by external factors, although comprehensive quantification of external disturbance frequencies is not yet available. Passive safety systems use natural circulation and stored pressure energy as power sources. These power sources have small capacities, which cause their sensitiveness to internal and external physical and thermodynamic conditions. The major advantage of passive safety system is their independence of external power sources and human factors. In this paper inherent failures of passive safety systems were discussed. There are two main types of these failures. Those failures are a failure due to unexpected internal change of physical state and a failure due to environment of the system, e.g. foreign material. When dealing with passive safety systems the environment of these systems plays bigger role compared to active systems. Thorough development, verification and review testing of passive systems should be considered including the environment and surrounding systems. This

Passive damping is proven as a robust stabilizing technique for LCL-filtered voltage source converters. However, conventional design methods of passive dampers are based on the passive components only, while the inherent damping effect of time delay in the digital control system is overlooked. In...... this paper, a frequency-domain passivity-based design approach is proposed, where the passive dampers are designed to eliminate the negative real part of the converter output admittance with closed-loop current control, rather than shaping the LCL-filter itself. Thus, the influence of time delay in the...

Full Text Available Humans can adapt to unfamiliar dynamic and/or kinematic transformations through the active motor experience. Recent studies of neurorehabilitation using robots or brain-computer interface (BCI technology suggest that passive motor experience would play a measurable role in motor recovery, however our knowledge of passive motor learning is limited. To clarify the effects of passive motor experience on human motor learning, we performed arm reaching experiments guided by a robotic manipulandum. The results showed that the passive motor experience had an anterograde transfer effect on the subsequent motor execution, whereas no retrograde interference was confirmed in the ABA paradigm experiment. This suggests that the passive experience of the error between visual and proprioceptive sensations leads to the limited but actual compensation of behavior, although it is fragile and cannot be consolidated as a persistent motor memory.

Full Text Available The class of “stable games”, introduced by Hofbauer and Sandholm in 2009, has the attractive property of admitting global convergence to equilibria under many evolutionary dynamics. We show that stable games can be identified as a special case of the feedback-system-theoretic notion of a “passive” dynamical system. Motivated by this observation, we develop a notion of passivity for evolutionary dynamics that complements the definition of the class of stable games. Since interconnections of passive dynamical systems exhibit stable behavior, we can make conclusions about passive evolutionary dynamics coupled with stable games. We show how established evolutionary dynamics qualify as passive dynamical systems. Moreover, we exploit the flexibility of the definition of passive dynamical systems to analyze generalizations of stable games and evolutionary dynamics that include forecasting heuristics as well as certain games with memory.

Background: Passive hydrogen autocatalytic recombiner is a device for eliminating hydrogen in the containment of the nuclear power plant when severe accident occurs, avoiding hydrogen explosion. After the Fukushima nuclear accident, the nuclear power plants pay more attention to the role of Passive hydrogen autocatalytic recombiner. Purpose: This paper studies the stresses of passive hydrogen autocatalytic recombiner under the seismic and LOCA conditions, Methods: Modeling by using the finite element software ANSYS, the impacts of airflow load under the LOCA conditions are considered reasonably and the strength of passive hydrogen autocatalytic recombiner is also evaluated according RCC-M, Results: The results show that the model can meet the requirement of the standard document. Conclusions: This paper will provide technical support for stress analysis and evaluation of passive hydrogen autocatalytic recombiner. (authors)

Flapping wings may pitch passively under aerodynamic and inertial loads. Such passive pitching is observed in flapping wing insect and robot flight. The effect of passive wing pitch on the control dynamics of flapping wing flight are unexplored. Here we demonstrate in simulation and experiment the critical role wing pitching plays in yaw control of a flapping wing robot. We study yaw torque generation by a flapping wing allowed to passively rotate in the pitch axis through a rotational spring. Yaw torque is generated through alternating fast and slow upstroke and and downstroke. Yaw torque sensitively depends on both the rotational spring force law and spring stiffness, and at a critical spring stiffness a bifurcation in the yaw torque control relationship occurs. Simulation and experiment reveal the dynamics of this bifurcation and demonstrate that anomalous yaw torque from passively pitching wings is the result of aerodynamic and inertial coupling between the pitching and stroke-plane dynamics.

The paper reviews the most original concepts that have been considered in Italy for the back-fitting of the nuclear power plants in order to reduce the probability and the importance of the release to the environment in case of a core melt. With reference either to BWR or PWR, passive concepts have been considered for back-fitting in the following areas: pump seals damage prevention and ECCS passive operation; reactor passive depressurization; molten reactor core passive cooling; metal containment passive water cooling through a water tank located at high level; containment isolation improvement through a sealing system; containment leaks control and limitation of environmental release. In addition some considerations will be made on the protection against external events introduced from the beginning on the PUN design either on building and equipment lay-out either on structure design. (author). 5 figs

A blank extender module used to mount an instrument module in front of its console for repair or test purposes has been equipped with a rotatable mount and means for locking the mount at various angles of rotation for easy accessibility. The rotatable mount includes a horizontal conduit supported by bearings within the blank module. The conduit is spring-biased in a retracted position within the blank module and in this position a small gear mounted on the conduit periphery is locked by a fixed pawl. The conduit and instrument mount can be pulled into an extended position with the gear clearing the pawl to permit rotation and adjustment of the instrument

Full Text Available Technique of measuring intensity distribution and size of spot image developed has been discussed, which is especially suitable for defocus adjustment in ground test of star tracker. A novel approach for choosing a proper defocusing position has been proposed based on collimator, Gaussian surface fitting method, and other ordinary instruments. It proves to be practical and adequate in the development of distant object tracking such as star tracker.Defence Science Journal, 2010, 60(6, pp.678-682, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.36

Full Text Available The passive optical networks represent modern and promising solution to meet the increasing demands on the transmission speed in access networks. These optical networks consist only of passive optical components, essential role play mainly the passive optical splitters. Therefore, it is not possible to perform additional adjustments with the optical signal, such as its amplifying, dropping, routing, etc. It is necessary in early stage of planning the optical network to comply with its parameters for its proper operation, especially the values of total attenuation, optical return loss, delay, etc. It is therefore necessary to accomplish the detailed analysis and the calculation of total attenuation characteristics of proposed optical network. The program for the purposes of rapid calculation of the passive optical network attenuation was designed. It supports various network topologies and it enables to enter initial parameters of optical network. The outputs in the tabular form also include the assessment of the suitability of proposed optical network for the different variants of passive optical networks.

I find quantitative evidence of a significant effect for credit constraints on durable consumption during a post-deregulation consumer spending spree. The effect varied markedly across age and educational groups. Young households with low levels of education displayed high sensitivity to credit conditions. In contrast, older highly educated households were relatively immune to credit market developments.

, we give an overview of the growing, but incohesive body of research into creativity and constraints, which leads us to introduce ‘creativity constraints’ as a unifying concept to help bridge these disjoint contributions to facilitate cross- disciplinary interchange. Finally, we suggest key topics and...

The present theories of galaxy formation are reviewed. The relation between peculiar velocities, temperature fluctuations of the microwave background and the correlation function of galaxies point to the possibility that galaxies do not form uniformly everywhere. The velocity data provide strong constraints on the theories even in the case when light does not follow mass of the universe.

We show how to preprocess a set S of points in d into an external memory data structure that efficiently supports linear-constraint queries. Each query is in the form of a linear constraint xd a0+∑d−1i=1 aixi; the data structure must report all the points of S that satisfy the constraint. This...... problem is called halfspace range searching in the computational geometry literature. Our goal is to minimize the number of disk blocks required to store the data structure and the number of disk accesses (I/Os) required to answer a query. For d=2, we present the first data structure that uses linear...... space and answers linear-constraint queries using an optimal number of I/Os in the worst case. For d=3, we present a near-linear-size data structure that answers queries using an optimal number of I/Os on the average. We present linear-size data structures that can answer d-dimensional linear...

Translation is no longer considered a single, unified reproduction of the original but a kind of rewriting which reflects a certain ideology and literary norm and literary translation is no exception. This essay tends to explore the cultural constraints on literary translation.

There is continuing controversy over the importance of credit constraints. This paper investigates whether total household expenditure and debt is affected by an exogenous increase in access to credit provided by a credit market reform that enabled Danish house owners to use housing equity as...

The authors combine firm-level data from the World Bank Business Environment Survey (WBES) with data on private and public credit registries to investigate whether the presence of a credit registry in a country is associated with lower financing constraints, as perceived by managers, and with higher share of bank financing. They find that the existence of private credit registries is assoc...

The presence of light particles beyond the standard model's three neutrino species can profoundly impact the physics of decoupling and primordial nucleosynthesis. I review the observational signatures of extra light species, present constraints from recent data, and discuss the implications of po...... of possible sterile neutrinos with O(eV)-masses for cosmology....

Since the start of Optimality Theory (Prince & Smolensky, 1993), research on phonological acquisition has explored the explanatory potential of constraint theories. This study, also based on Optimality Theory, attempts to analyze the acquisition of CVVC syllable structure by Brazilian Portuguese children and addresses the issue of Local Conjunction (Smolensky, 1995, 1997) in research that deals with problems of phonological acquisition.

Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) is a relatively new technique from the 80's with origins in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. Lately, much research have been focused on ways of using CLP within the paradigm of Operations Research (OR) and vice versa. The purpose of this paper...

Astrophysics gives evidence for the existence of Dark Matter and puts constraints on its nature. The Cold Dark Matter model has become "standard" cosmology combined with a cosmological constant. There are indications that "Cold" Dark Matter could be "warmer" than initially discussed. This paper reviews the main information on the Cold/Warm nature of Dark Matter.

Due to the use of electrical current load that uses a lot of electronic components (passive non-linear electrical loads), so the impact will cause harmonics in the electrical network system. These harmonics can unwittingly cause a relatively large loss in electrical energy consumption and can lower the power factor of an electrical installation. Limits how much the harmonic distortion that is installed on the load adjusted to the IEEE 519-1992 standard. The study was conducted by taking data on a network of electrical installation of a building using measuring devices Fluke 43B Power Quality Analyser. The data is then processed and consulted with the standard IEEE 519-1992. Once the data has a discrepancy with the standard, further made the filter design using linear passive components. The design is then installed on the network installation by means of simulated order harmonic losses can be overcome so that the circuit meets the IEEE standard installation by changing the parameters of the linear load L and C. The results of this study indicate that THDi value decreased after the installation of filters for phase R fell by 9.39%, the S phase decreased by 7.54% and for the T phase decreased by 16.88%. So that meets the IEEE standard by 15%.

A computerized brain atlas, adjustable to the patients anatomy, has been developed. It is primarily intended for use in positron emission tomography, but may also be employed in other fields utilizing neuro imaging, such as sterotactic surgery, transmission computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The atlas is based on anatomical information obtained from digitized cryosectioned brains. It can be adjusted to fit a wide range of images from individual brains with normal anatomy. The corresponding transformation is chosen so that the modified atlas agrees with a set of CT or NMR images of the patient. The computerized atlas can be used to improve the quantification and evaluation of PET data by: Aiding and improving the selection of regions of interests. Facilitating comparisons of functional image data from different individuals or groups of individuals. Facilitating the comparison of different examinations of the same patient, thus reducing the need of reproducible fixation systems. Providing external a priori anatomical information to be used in the image reconstruction. Improving the attenuation and scatter corrections. Aiding in selecting a suitable patient orientation during the PET study. By applying the inverse atlas transformation to PET data set it is possible to relate the PET information to the anatomy of the reference atlas. Reformatted PET data from different patients can thus be averaged, and averages from different categories of patients can be compared. The method will facilitate the identification of statistically significant differences in the PET information from different groups of patients. (orig.)

Full Text Available The article aims at analysing the current situation in the Euro area with respect to the balance of payments adjustment mechanism that should normally be at place. Internally, the Euro area membership represents a combination of the fixed exchange rate, capital mobility and no monetary policy autonomy; externally, the Euro area countries apply floating exchange rates with high capital mobility, and autonomous monetary policy. Member states thus cannot use the monetary instruments to prevent external influences; they can only use fiscal policies, which are limited by the Stability and Growth Pact and debt constraint. When external imbalance occurs (such as today, the economies of member states are exposed to the price and income adjustment processes as well as to their own fiscal and ECB policy impacts. This article shows that all these factors interfere and influence real effects of automatic adjustment mechanisms which in some cases cannot come forth at all. Factors within domestic economic policies that limit the restoration of external balance within the Euro area thus create an important outcome of this paper.

Passivation is a process for cleaning and providing corrosion protection for stainless steel. Currently, on Kennedy Space Center (KSC), only parts passivated with nitric acid are acceptable for use. KSC disposes of approximately 125gal of concentrated nitric acid per year, and receives many parts from vendors who must also dispose of used nitric acid. Unfortunately, nitric acid presents health and environmental hazards. As a result, several recent industry studies have examined citric acid as an alternative. Implementing a citric acid-based passivation procedure would improve the health and environmental safety aspects of passivation process. However although there is a lack of published studies that conclusively prove citric acid is a technically sound passivation agent. In 2007, NASA's KSC Materials Advisory Working Group requested the evaluation of citric acid in place of nitric acid for passivation of parts at KSC. United Space Alliance Materials & Processes engineers have developed a three-phase test plan to evaluate citric acid as an alternative to nitric acid on three stainless steels commonly used at KSC: UNS S30400, S41000, and S17400. Phases 1 and 2 will produce an optimized citric acid treatment based on results from atmospheric exposure at NASA's Beach Corrosion Facility. Phase 3 will compare the optimized solution(s) with nitric acid treatments. If the results indicate that citric acid passivates as well or better than nitric acid, NASA intends to approve this method for parts used at the Kennedy Space Center.

Results of passivation studies on Ti-base alloys show that the inhibition of anodic processes on these alloys is determined not by the total thickness of passive film, but by its barrier layer. The protective properties of the barrier layer increase if the passive film is formed at anodic potentials more positive than +1.4V. They were determined not by chemical stability of barrier layer, but by an inhibition which is produced by this layer for ionic current along the anodic direction. The protective properties are related to character defectiveness and semiconductor properties of the barrier layer. Additions of Al, V, Mo, Zr, and Nb to titanium increase the anodic current in the passive state. Additions of Cr and Mn decrease this current, and Sn does not influence it. The direct electrochemical transition of titanium ions into solution (as TiO2+) is a main anodic process of titanium dissolution and its low alloyed alloys in the passive state. Double phase titanium alloys (after tempering) have a lower corrosion resistance than those in the homogeneous single phase state (after hardening). The less passive phase of double phase alloys dissolves perferentially. The less passive phases are: in the active state, α-phase; in transpassive state for Ti--Mo alloys, β-phase, containing in a high Mo percentage; and for Ti--Cr alloys, γ-phase, having more chromium. (U.S.)

Import protection is frequently advocated as a means of preserving jobs and avoiding labour adjustment costs. Defining adjustment costs in terms of output forgone during the process of adjustment and ignoring any general equilibrium repercussions, we estimate that quantitative restrictions on British footwear imports during 1979 protected about 1,000 jobs and avoided once-and-for-all adjustment costs of only around 1 million pounds sterling. The result is based on new data which reveal high r...

An anchoring adjusted Capital Asset Pricing Model (ACAPM) is developed in which the payoff volatilities of well-established stocks are used as starting points that are adjusted to form volatility judgments about other stocks. Anchoring heuristic implies that such adjustments are typically insufficient. ACAPM converges to CAPM with correct adjustment, so CAPM is a special case of ACAPM. The model provides a unified explanation for the size, value, and momentum effects in the stock market. A ke...

This paper investigates the role of constraints in limiting and enhancing creativity in engineering design. Based on a review of literature relating constraints to creativity, the paper presents a longitudinal participatory study from Coloplast A/S, a major international producer of disposable...... and ownership of formal constraints played a crucial role in defining their influence on creativity – along with the tacit constraints held by the designers. The designers were found to be highly constraint focused, and four main creative strategies for constraint manipulation were observed...

A Pseudo-Boolean constraint is a linear constraint over Boolean variables. This kind of constraints has been widely used in expressing NP-complete problems. This paper introduces a new algorithm for translating Pseudo-Boolean constraints into CNF clauses. The CNF produced by the proposed encoding has small size, and we also characterize the constraints for which one can expect the SAT solvers to perform well on the produced CNF. We show that there are many constraints for which the proposed encoding has a good performance.

Heat transfer augmentation techniques (passive, active or a combination of passive and active methods) are commonly used in areas such as process industries, heating and cooling in evaporators, thermal power plants, air- conditioning equipment, refrigerators, radiators for space vehicles, automobiles, etc. Passive techniques, where inserts are used in the flow passage to augment the heat transfer rate, are advantageous compared with active techniques, because the insert manufacturing process is simple and these techniques can be easily employed in an existing heat exchanger. In design of compact heat exchangers, passive techniques of heat transfer augmentation can play an important role if a proper passive insert configuration can be selected according to the heat exchanger working condition (both flow and heat transfer conditions). In the past decade, several studies on the passive techniques of heat transfer augmentation have been reported. The present paper is a review on progress with the passive augmentation techniques in the recent past and will be useful to designers implementing passive augmentation techniques in heat exchange. Twisted tapes, wire coils, ribs, fins, dimples, etc., are the most commonly used passive heat transfer augmentation tools. In the present paper, emphasis is given to works dealing with twisted tapes and wire coils because, according to recent studies, these are known to be economic heat transfer augmentation tools. The former insert is found to be suitable in a laminar flow regime and the latter is suitable for turbulent flow. The thermohydraulic behaviour of an insert mainly depends on the flow conditions (laminar or turbulent) apart from the insert configurations. The present review is organized in five different sections: twisted tape in laminar flow; twisted tape in turbulent flow; wire coil in laminar flow; wire coil in turbulent flow; other inserts such as ribs, fins, dimples, etc. (author)

Examines academic, social, and personal-emotional adjustment, as well as institutional attachment for women (N=198) attending a predominantly white coeducational research university. Significant main effects were found on academic achievement for year in college. Students differed on personal-emotional adjustment by race. Academic adjustment and…

The aim of this note is to present a unified approach to the results given by Borchers and Buchholz ['Global properties of vacuum states in de Sitter space', Ann. Inst. Henri Poincare, Sect. A. 70, 23-40 (1999)] and by Buchholz and Summers ['Stable quantum systems in anti-de Sitter space: Causality, independence and spectral properties', J. Math. Phys. 45, 4810-4831 (2004)] which also covers examples of models not presented in these two papers (e.g., d-dimensional Minkowski space-time for d≥3). Assuming that a state is passive for an observer traveling along certain (essential) worldlines, we show that this state is invariant under the isometry group, is a temperature equilibrium state for the observer at a temperature uniquely determined by the structure constants of the Lie algebra involved, and fulfills (a variant of) the Reeh-Schlieder property. Also, the modular objects associated with such a state and the observable algebra of an observer are computed and a version of weak locality is examined

The Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Laboratory (DIRS) at the Rochester Institute of Technology, along with the Savannah River National Laboratory is investigating passive methods to quantify vehicle loading. The research described in this paper investigates multiple vehicle indicators including brake temperature, tire temperature, engine temperature, acceleration and deceleration rates, engine acoustics, suspension response, tire deformation and vibrational response. Our investigation into these variables includes building and implementing a sensing system for data collection as well as multiple full-scale vehicle tests. The sensing system includes; infrared video cameras, triaxial accelerometers, microphones, video cameras and thermocouples. The full scale testing includes both a medium size dump truck and a tractor-trailer truck on closed courses with loads spanning the full range of the vehicle's capacity. Statistical analysis of the collected data is used to determine the effectiveness of each of the indicators for characterizing the weight of a vehicle. The final sensing system will monitor multiple load indicators and combine the results to achieve a more accurate measurement than any of the indicators could provide alone.

This paper presents an approach for determining the increasing failure probability of an aging passive component and for calculating its resulting effect on plant risk by modifying an existing commercial nuclear reactor probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). A technique was developed for introducing aging into failure probability calculations using probabilistic structural analysis (PSA) techniques. Various probabilistic structural analysis methods were reviewed, and the PRAISE computer code was selected to perform the PSA. A component was selected that could fail and have a significant effect on the risk of core damage frequency. This component is a weld in the auxiliary feedwater system (AFW) of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). The stress on the AFW weld, for input in PRAISE, was determined for piping design loads, plant transient loads, and a thermal cyclic load that could cause crack growth and ultimate pipe failure. One PRAISE calculation might be made with the possibility of water hammer introduced to determine the effect on core damage frequency. An existing PRA (for a NUREG 1150 plant) was modified to include the failure of the AFW weld. Because this work is not complete, only preliminary conclusions and recommendations are presented

This article deals with the intentional distinction between murder of first degree and passive euthanasia. In Hungary, active euthanasia is considered to be a murder of first degree, whilst the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and Switzerland have legalized the active form of mercy killing in Europe. The palliative terminal care, when e.g. giving pain-killer morphine to the patient, might result in decreasing the patient's life-span, and thus causing indirect euthanasia. However, the legal institution of living will exists in several counter-euthanasia countries. The living will allows future patients to express their decision in advance to refuse a life-sustaining treatment, e.g. in case of irreversible coma. The institution of living will exists in Germany and in Hungary too. Nevertheless, the formal criteria of living will make it hardly applicable. The patient ought to express his/her will before a notary public in advance, and he/she should hand it over when being hospitalized. If the patient is not able to present his/her living will to his/her doctor in the hospital, then his/her only hope remains that he/she has given a copy of the living will to the family doctor previously, and the family doctor will notify the hospital. PMID:24974840

MGA is a gamma-ray spectrum analysis program for determining relative plutonium isotopic abundances. The isotopic composition of a plutonium sample is needed to calculate {sup 240}Pu{sub eff} that is used to interpret passive neutron coincidence measurements in units of absolute plutonium mass. MGA can determine plutonium isotopic abundances with accuracies better than 1% using a high-resolution, low-energy, planar germanium detector and measurement times ten minutes or less. MGA can include analysis of a second spectrum of the high-energy (300--600 keV) plutonium gamma rays that significantly improves the determination of {sup 240}P{sub eff} in high-burnup plutonium. For the high-energy gamma-ray measurements we have devised a new hardware configuration, so that both the low- and high-energy gamma-ray detectors are mounted in a single cryostat thereby reducing weight and volume of the detector systems. We describe the detector configuration and our experience with it using a combined neutron-gamma measurement system and the two-detector version of MGA. We discuss the sources of uncertainty in the determination of {sup 240}Pu{sub eff} and propose a new correlation for the determination of {sup 242}Pu.

In this paper, it is proposed a cosmological model independent method to constrain the cosmic opacity. As an approach never seen before in literature, we use the ages of 32 old passive galaxies distributed over the redshift interval $0.11 < z < 1.84$ and of 9 extremely old globular clusters in M31 galaxy to obtain opacity free luminosity distance. By comparing them to the 580 distance moduli of supernovae from the so-called Union 2.1 compilation we put limits on the cosmic opacity parametrized by $\\tau(z) = \\epsilon z/(1+z)$ (for $\\epsilon =0$ the transparent universe is recovered). Considering the cosmic background radiation constraints on the spatial curvature of the Universe no significant deviation from transparency is verified.

In this article we investigate the properties of the FLRW flat cosmological models in which the cosmic expansion of the Universe is affected by a dilaton dark energy (Liouville scenario). In particular, we perform a detailed study of these models in the light of the latest cosmological data, which serves to illustrate the phenomenological viability of the new dark energy paradigm as a serious alternative to the traditional scalar field approaches. By performing a joint likelihood analysis of the recent supernovae type Ia data (SNIa), the differential ages of passively evolving galaxies, and the Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAOs) traced by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), we put tight constraints on the main cosmological parameters. Furthermore, we study the linear matter fluctuation field of the above Liouville cosmological models. In this framework, we compare the observed growth rate of clustering measured from the optical galaxies with those predicted by the current Liouville models. Performing vari...

Python Passive Network Mapping: P2NMAP is the first book to reveal a revolutionary and open source method for exposing nefarious network activity. The ""Heartbleed"" vulnerability has revealed significant weaknesses within enterprise environments related to the lack of a definitive mapping of network assets. In Python Passive Network Mapping, Chet Hosmer shows you how to effectively and definitively passively map networks. Active or probing methods to network mapping have traditionally been used, but they have many drawbacks - they can disrupt operations, crash systems, and - most important

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of a study analyzing the relationship between some dimensions or developmental assets in the neighborhood, as measured by the Scale for the Assessment of Developmental Assets in the Neighborhood, and adjustment and life satisfaction of adolescent boys and girls. The sample consisted of 2400 adolescents (1068 boys and 1332 girls between ages 12 and 17 who were secondary students in public and private schools in Western Andalusia. The results showed significant relationships between most dimensions of the scale (youth empowerment, attachment to neighbourhood safety and social control and internalizing and externalizing problems, substance use and life satisfaction of participants. Moreover, the data provide evidence about the external validity of the scale used in the study. From the results some suggestions for intervention in the community environment are extracted.

This article reports differences across 23 countries on 2 processes of emotion regulation--reappraisal and suppression. Cultural dimensions were correlated with country means on both and the relationship between them. Cultures that emphasized the maintenance of social order--that is, those that were long-term oriented and valued embeddedness and hierarchy--tended to have higher scores on suppression, and reappraisal and suppression tended to be positively correlated. In contrast, cultures that minimized the maintenance of social order and valued individual Affective Autonomy and Egalitarianism tended to have lower scores on Suppression, and Reappraisal and Suppression tended to be negatively correlated. Moreover, country-level emotion regulation was significantly correlated with country-level indices of both positive and negative adjustment. PMID:18505309

The conflict detection and resolution in collaborative design is a key issue to maintain multi-disciplinary design consistency. This paper proposes a new method for conflict detection and resolution based on constraint sat isfaction technique.The representation of design constraint, the interval arith metic of the constraint satisfaction problem CSP and the conflict resolution str ategy based on constraint relaxation and adjustment are introduced.A constr aint-satisfaction based conflict detection and resolution tool CSCDR is then de veloped. It can help collaborative designers to detect and resolve the confli cts in time in the early stage of the design process so that the unnecessary des ign iteration and repeated negotiation are avoided and the design efficiency is then much improved. A design case illustrates the effectiveness of CSCDR.

The energy requirements for a passive house are quite strict. These requirements need to be adopted already in early phase of project planning. Collaboration between different design domains is a necessity. System design requires accurate information on the performance parameters of equipment. This information has to be available for the designers. Paroc passive house shows that HVAC system settings and trimming are a condition of the required performance. System adjustments and trimming were carried out almost for one year after the building was finished. The need for adjustments comes from poor documentation of the performance parameters of the equipment. Accurate monitoring results are available for less than one year; however, the results show that the building meets the requirements set on the delivered energy and primary energy. The primary energy use in the two apartments is 96 and 130 kWh/m{sup 2}. The airtightness of the building envelope were n{sub 50} = 0.37 1/h and n{sub 50} = 0.25 1/h correspondingly. The primary energy use in the passive house Paroc Lupaus is 130 kWh/m{sup 2} and the airtightness of the building envelope n{sub 50} = 0.5 1/h. The energy used for space heating 30 kWh/m{sup 2} exceeds the set requirement of 25 kWh/m{sup 2}. The indoor temperature has been higher than assumed in the design. The monitoring shows that the technical systems do not perform as expected. There is still need for adjustments and trimming both for the ventilation system and heat pump. In general, the performance parameters of the HVAC systems are not accurate enough for passive house design. (orig.)

Due to the NP-hardness of the two-sided assembly line balancing (TALB) problem, multiple constraints existing in real applications are less studied, especially when one task is involved with several constraints. In this paper, an effective hybrid algorithm is proposed to address the TALB problem with multiple constraints (TALB-MC). Considering the discrete attribute of TALB-MC and the continuous attribute of the standard teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm, the random-keys method is hired in task permutation representation, for the purpose of bridging the gap between them. Subsequently, a special mechanism for handling multiple constraints is developed. In the mechanism, the directions constraint of each task is ensured by the direction check and adjustment. The zoning constraints and the synchronism constraints are satisfied by teasing out the hidden correlations among constraints. The positional constraint is allowed to be violated to some extent in decoding and punished in cost function. Finally, with the TLBO seeking for the global optimum, the variable neighborhood search (VNS) is further hybridized to extend the local search space. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid algorithm outperforms the late acceptance hill-climbing algorithm (LAHC) for TALB-MC in most cases, especially for large-size problems with multiple constraints, and demonstrates well balance between the exploration and the exploitation. This research proposes an effective and efficient algorithm for solving TALB-MC problem by hybridizing the TLBO and VNS.

We introduce the boundary conditions corresponding to the imaginary-time (Matsubara) formalism for the finite-temperature partition function in $d+1$ dimensions as {\\em constraints} in the path integral for the vacuum amplitude (the zero-temperature partition function). We implement those constraints by using Lagrange multipliers, which are static fields, two of them associated to each physical degree of freedom. After integrating out the original, physical fields, we obtain an effective representation for the partition function, depending only on the Lagrange multipliers. The resulting functional integral has the appealing property of involving only $d$-dimensional, {\\em time independent} fields, looking like a non local version of the classical partition function. We analyze the main properties of this novel representation for the partition function, developing the formalism within the context of two concrete examples: the real scalar and Dirac fields.

It is proposed that shock wave dynamics within the gas of a small bubble explain sonoluminescence, the emission of visible radiation. As the bubble radius oscillates, shock waves develop from spherical sound waves created inside the gas bubble. As any such shock propagates toward the center, it strengthens and, upon convergence and subsequent reflection, temperature of gas inside bubble increases dramatically in such a way that it can produce plasma. Since main radiation product in exploding epoch, nonadiabatic condition for imploding shock wave cool plasma and cause exploding shock wave can not sufficiently rise temperature to produce radiation. In this work we compare cooling time for plasma by bermsstrahlung radiation with collapsing time for the imploding shock wave . We find a constraint on radius of bubble with respect to temperature of water. This constraint condition explains experimental results as to, why the cold water is fine for SL.

The chameleon model is a scalar field theory with a screening mechanism that explains how a cosmologically relevant light scalar can avoid the constraints of intra-solar-system searches for fifth-forces. The chameleon is a popular dark energy candidate and also arises in $f(R)$ theories of gravity. Whilst the chameleon is designed to avoid historical searches for fifth-forces it is not unobservable and much effort has gone into identifying the best observables and experiments to detect it. These results are not always presented for the same models or in the same language, a particular problem when comparing astrophysical and laboratory searches making it difficult to understand what regions of parameter space remain. Here we present combined constraints on the chameleon model from astrophysical and laboratory searches for the first time and identify the remaining windows of parameter space. We discuss the implications for cosmological chameleon searches and future small-scale probes.

Full Text Available Studies have found a consistent positive association between maternal smoking and non-syndromic orofacial clefts (NSOFC. However, no comprehensive assessment of the association between NSOFC and passive smoking has been undertaken. This systematic review and meta-analysis explores the relationship between maternal passive smoking and NSOFC, and compares the associations between passive and active smoking.Search strategy, inclusion / exclusion criteria, and data extraction from studies reporting maternal passive smoking and NSOFC was implemented without language restrictions. Risks of bias in the identified studies were assessed and this information was used in sensitivity analyses to explain heterogeneity. Meta-analysis and meta-regression of the extracted data were performed. Egger's test was used to test for small study effects. Fourteen eligible articles were identified. Maternal passive smoking exposure was associated with a twofold increase in risk of NSOFC (odds ratio: 2.11, 95% confidence interval: 1.54-2.89; this was apparent for both cleft lip with and without palate (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.27-3.3 and cleft palate (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.23-3.62. There was substantial heterogeneity between studies. In the studies that provided data enabling crude and adjusted odd ratios to be compared, adjustment for potential confounders attenuated the magnitude of association to about a 1.5-fold increase in risk.Overall, maternal passive smoking exposure results in a 1.5 fold increase in risk of NSOFC, similar to the magnitude of risk reported for active smoking, but there is marked heterogeneity between studies. This heterogeneity is not explained by differences in the distribution of cleft types, adjustment for covariates, broad geographic region, or study bias/quality. This thorough meta-analysis provides further evidence to minimize exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in policy making fora and in health promotion initiatives.

This paper talks about that monotone circuit is P-Complete. Decision problem that include P-Complete is mapping that classify input with a similar property. Therefore equivalence relation of input value is important for computation. But monotone circuit cannot compute the equivalence relation of the value because monotone circuit can compute only monotone function. Therefore, I make the value constraint explicitly in the input and monotone circuit can compute equivalence relation. As a result...

Various constraints concerning control fields can be imposed in the realistic implementations of quantum control systems. One of the most important is the restriction on the frequency spectrum of acceptable control parameters. It is important to consider the limitations of experimental equipment when trying to find appropriate control parameters. Therefore, in this paper we present a general method of obtaining a piecewise-constant controls, which are robust with respect to spectral constrain...

Restaurant table management can have significant impact on both profitability and the customer experience. The core of the issue is a complex dynamic combinatorial problem. We show how to model the problem as constraint satisfaction, with extensions which generate flexible seating plans and which maintain stability when changes occur. We describe an implemented system which provides advice to users in real time. The system is currently being evaluated in a restaurant environment.

If entrepreneurs are liquidity constrained and cannot borrow to operate on an efficient scale, those with more personal wealth should do better than those with less wealth. We investigate this hypothesis using a unique dataset from Norway. Consistent with liquidity constraints being present, we find a strong positive relationship between founder prior wealth and start-up size. The relationship between prior wealth and start-up performance, as measured by profitability on assets, increases for...

We develop a model of bidding markets with financial constraints a la Che and Gale (1998b) in which two firms optimally choose their budgets. First, we provide an alternative explanation for the dispersion of markups and “money left on the table” across procurement auctions. Interestingly, this explanation does not hinge on significant private information but on di?erences, both endogenous and exogenous, in the availability of financial resources. Second, we explain why the empirical analysis...

This paper concerns how to generate and understand discourse anaphoric noun phrases. I present the results of an analysis of all discourse anaphoric noun phrases (N=1,233) in a corpus of ten narrative monologues, where the choice between a definite pronoun or phrasal NP conforms largely to Gricean constraints on informativeness. I discuss Dale and Reiter's [To appear] recent model and show how it can be augmented for understanding as well as generating the range of data presented here. I argu...

When evaluating long-term policies, economists usually suggest to maximize the sum of discounted utilities. On the one hand, discounted utilitarianism was given a solid axiomatic foundation by Koopmans (Econometrica 1960). On the other hand, this criterion has questionable implications when applied to economic models with resource constraints. This raises the question: What ethical conditions for intergenerational distribution should and can be imposed? I use my discussion of such conditions ...

differential impact that occasionally non-binding constraints exert on the shape of expansions and contractions, we are also able to reconcile a more negatively skewed business cycle with a moderation in its volatility. Finally, our model can account for an intrinsic feature of economic downturns preceded by...... private credit build-ups: Financially driven expansions lead to deeper contractions, as compared to equally-sized non-financial expansions....

We analyze the impact of corporate governance structures on access to capital using a unique and rich panel data for a large and representative sample of Estonian firms over the period 1993 through 1999. We distinguish among five different governance structures and provide estimates on the impact of each of them on capital constraints. Our results indicate that: (i) separate regimes exist in investment behavior; (ii) the likelihood of being financially constrained is higher in firms that are ...

EU New Member States must comply with the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and the investment requirements implied by the Lisbon Agenda. However, the SGP rules may result in underinvestment or distortions in the allocation of public expenditure. This paper provides new evidence on the effects of debt sustainability and SGP fiscal constraints on government expenditure in fixed capital, education and health in OECD countries by estimating government expenditure reaction functions to public debt ...

The class of controlled synchronization systems under information constraints imposed by limited information capacity of the coupling channel is analyzed. It is shown that the framework proposed in A. L. Fradkov, B. Andrievsky, R. J. Evans, Physical Review E 73, 066209 (2006) is suitable not only for observer-based synchronization but also for controlled master-slave synchronization via communication channel with limited information capacity. A simple first order coder-decoder scheme is propo...

We consider portal models which are ultraweakly coupled with the Standard Model, and confront them with observational constraints on dark matter abundance and isocurvature perturbations. We assume the hidden sector to contain a real singlet scalar $s$ and a sterile neutrino $\\psi$ coupled to $s$ via a pseudoscalar Yukawa term. During inflation, a primordial condensate consisting of the singlet scalar $s$ is generated, and its contribution to the isocurvature perturbations is imprinted onto the dark matter abundance. We compute the total dark matter abundance including the contributions from condensate decay and nonthermal production from the Standard Model sector. We then use the Planck limit on isocurvature perturbations to derive a novel constraint connecting dark matter mass and the singlet self coupling with the scale of inflation: $m_{\\rm DM}/{\\rm GeV}\\lesssim 0.2\\lambda_{\\rm s}^{\\scriptscriptstyle 3/8} \\left(H_*/10^{\\scriptscriptstyle 11}{\\rm GeV}\\right)^{\\scriptscriptstyle -3/2}$. This constraint is re...

Space tourism appears today as a new Eldorado in a relatively near future. Private operators are already proposing services for leisure trips in Low Earth Orbit, and some happy few even tested them. But are these exceptional events really marking the dawn of a new space age ? The constraints associated to the space tourism are severe : - the economical balance of space tourism is tricky; development costs of large manned - the technical definition of such large vehicles is challenging, mainly when considering - the physiological aptitude of passengers will have a major impact on the mission - the orbital environment will also lead to mission constraints on aspects such as radiation, However, these constraints never appear as show-stoppers and have to be dealt with pragmatically: - what are the recommendations one can make for future research in the field of space - which typical roadmap shall one consider to develop realistically this new market ? - what are the synergies with the conventional missions and with the existing infrastructure, - how can a phased development start soon ? The paper proposes hints aiming at improving the credibility of Space Tourism and describes the orientations to follow in order to solve the major hurdles found in such an exciting development.

Solar, atmospheric and terrestrial neutrino experiments have provided evidence for neutrino oscillations. These neutrino anomalies were successfully explained in terms of neutrino oscillations, the dominant channels being flavour neutrino oscillations. The role of sterile neutrinos and the active-sterile subdominant channels are being explored presently. Therefore, we discuss all cosmological effects of active-sterile neutrino oscillations on the early Universe evolution, and particularly the effects on the nucleosynthesis epoch. Numerical analysis of the cosmological production of He-4, Yp in the presence of νe ↔ νs, effective after νe decoupling from the equilibrium, was provided for the full neutrino oscillations parameter range. These neutrino oscillations lead always to an overproduction of He-4. We have obtained isohelium contours corresponding to different levels of He-4 overproduction, δYp/Yp, for initial population of the sterile state in the range 0 ≤ δNs ≤ 0.5. Cosmological constraints on oscillation parameters, obtained on the base of the calculated isohelium contours and Yp observational data, are discussed. We present the constraints corresponding toδNs = 0.0 and 0.5, and helium overproduction δYp/Yp = 3%. These cosmological constraints, being more stringent than the ones provided from the neutrino experimental data, provide valuable information for the impact of sterile neutrino in the neutrino anomalies and for the neutrino physics in general. (author)

While our current paradigm of particle physics, the Standard Model (SM), has been extremely successful at explaining experiments, it is theoretically incomplete and must be embedded into a larger framework. In this thesis, we review the main motivations for theories beyond the SM (BSM) and the ways such theories can be constrained using low energy physics. The hierarchy problem, neutrino mass and the existence of dark matter (DM) are the main reasons why the SM is incomplete . Two of the most plausible theories that may solve the hierarchy problem are the Randall-Sundrum (RS) models and supersymmetry (SUSY). RS models usually suffer from strong flavor constraints, while SUSY models produce extra degrees of freedom that need to be hidden from current experiments. To show the importance of infrared (IR) physics constraints, we discuss the flavor bounds on the anarchic RS model in both the lepton and quark sectors. For SUSY models, we discuss the difficulties in obtaining a phenomenologically allowed gaugino mass, its relation to R-symmetry breaking, and how to build a model that avoids this problem. For the neutrino mass problem, we discuss the idea of generating small neutrino masses using compositeness. By requiring successful leptogenesis and the existence of warm dark matter (WDM), we can set various constraints on the hidden composite sector. Finally, to give an example of model independent bounds from collider experiments, we show how to constrain the DM–SM particle interactions using collider results with an effective coupling description.

Full Text Available In this paper we provide an updated analysis of the neutrino magnetic moments (NMMs, discussing both the constraints on the magnitudes of the three transition moments Λi and the role of the CP violating phases present both in the mixing matrix and in the NMM matrix. The scattering of solar neutrinos off electrons in Borexino provides the most stringent restrictions, due to its robust statistics and the low energies observed, below 1 MeV. Our new limit on the effective neutrino magnetic moment which follows from the most recent Borexino data is 3.1×10−11μB at 90% C.L. This corresponds to the individual transition magnetic moment constraints: |Λ1|≤5.6×10−11μB, |Λ2|≤4.0×10−11μB, and |Λ3|≤3.1×10−11μB (90% C.L., irrespective of any complex phase. Indeed, the incoherent admixture of neutrino mass eigenstates present in the solar flux makes Borexino insensitive to the Majorana phases present in the NMM matrix. For this reason we also provide a global analysis including the case of reactor and accelerator neutrino sources, presenting the resulting constraints for different values of the relevant CP phases. Improved reactor and accelerator neutrino experiments will be needed in order to underpin the full profile of the neutrino electromagnetic properties.

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized the value of performance-based passive building standards when it joined with Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) to promote DOE’s Challenge Home program in tandem with the PHIUS+ Certification program. Since then, the number of passive building projects that have been certified under the partnership has grown exponentially because of some synergy. Passive building represents a well-developed approach to arrive at the envelope basis for zero energy and energy-positive projects by employing performance-based criteria and maximizing cost-effective savings from conservation before implementing renewable energy technologies. The Challenge Home program evolved into the Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program in a move toward 1) attaining zero energy and 2) including active renewable energy generation such as photovoltaics (PV)—toward the zero energy goal.

Using complex signals we get possibility of indemnification of passive hindrances in the single-channel system of radio monitoring due to the use of correlation and spectral characteristics of certain class of complex signals.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This SBIR proposal aims to develop all-passive fiberoptic lighting systems that can be used on long space missions or here on earth. By addressing the traditional...

This paper investigates the problems of delay-dependent passivity and passivation of a class of linear interconnected time-delay systems with particular emphasis on multiarea reheat power systems. This class contains state delay in the dynamics and observation at the subsystem (local) level. A new state transformation is developed to exhibit the delay dependence in the system dynamics and a less conservative passivity-bounding inequality is incorporated. Through the analytical development, it...

We use direct evidence on credit constraints to study their importance for household consumption growth and for welfare. We distentangle the direct effect on consumption growth of a currently binding credit constraints from the indirect effect of a potentially binding credit constraint which generates consumption risk. Our data is focused on job losers. We find that less than 5% of job losers experience a binding credit constraint, but for those that do, they experience significant welfare lo...

Constraint programming (CP) is a powerful solving paradigm that is based on inference and search control algorithms and suitable for arbitrary/various NP-hard combinatorial problems beyond linearity. The flexibility of constraints - the working machines of a CP solver - allow a wide range of problems to be solved by constraint programming solvers. Constraint propagation and search control are to two main concepts that make CP an efficient solving strategy. The former identifies infeasible reg...

Constrained clustering investigates how to incorporate domain knowledge in the clustering process. The domain knowledge takes the form of constraints that must hold on the set of clusters. We consider instance level constraints, such as must-link and cannot-link. This type of constraints has been successfully used in popular clustering algorithms, such as k-means and hierarchical agglomerative clustering. This paper shows how clustering trees can support instance level constraints. Clustering...

Ant colony optimization is a metaheuristic which has been successfully applied to a wide range of combinatorial optimization problems. The author describes this metaheuristic and studies its efficiency for solving some hard combinatorial problems, with a specific focus on constraint programming. The text is organized into three parts. The first part introduces constraint programming, which provides high level features to declaratively model problems by means of constraints. It describes the main existing approaches for solving constraint satisfaction problems, including complete tree search

We review constraint-based approaches to handle preferences. We start by defining the main notions of constraint programming, then give various concepts of soft constraints and show how they can be used to model quantitative preferences. We then consider how soft constraints can be adapted to handle other forms of preferences, such as bipolar, qualitative, and temporal preferences. Finally, we describe how AI techniques such as abstraction, explanation generation, machine learning, and prefer...

Requirement of designing a sophisticated digital band-pass filter in acoustic based condition monitoring has been eliminated by introducing a passive acoustic filter in the present work. So far, no one has attempted to explore the possibility of implementing passive acoustic filters in acoustic based condition monitoring as a pre-conditioner. In order to enhance the acoustic based condition monitoring, a passive acoustic band-pass filter has been designed and deployed. Towards achieving an efficient band-pass acoustic filter, a generalized design methodology has been proposed to design and optimize the desired acoustic filter using multiple filter components in series. An appropriate objective function has been identified for genetic algorithm (GA) based optimization technique with multiple design constraints. In addition, the sturdiness of the proposed method has been demonstrated in designing a band-pass filter by using an n-branch Quincke tube, a high pass filter and multiple Helmholtz resonators. The performance of the designed acoustic band-pass filter has been shown by investigating the piston-bore defect of a motor-bike using engine noise signature. On the introducing a passive acoustic filter in acoustic based condition monitoring reveals the enhancement in machine learning based fault identification practice significantly. This is also a first attempt of its own kind.

A passive optical diode effect would be useful for on-chip optical information processing but has been difficult to achieve. Using a method based on optical nonlinearity, we demonstrate a forward-backward transmission ratio of up to 28 decibels within telecommunication wavelengths. Our device, which uses two silicon rings 5 micrometers in radius, is passive yet maintains optical nonreciprocity for a broad range of input power levels, and it performs equally well even if the backward input pow...

The statistical properties of active and passive scalar fields transported by the same turbulent flow are investigated. Four examples of active scalar have been considered: temperature in thermal convection, magnetic potential in two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics, vorticity in two-dimensional Ekman turbulence and potential temperature in surface flows. In the cases of temperature and vorticity, it is found that the active scalar behavior is akin to that of its co-evolving passive counterpa...

Motivated by recent experimental measurements, the passive diffusion of the bacterium \\textit{Leptospira interrogans} is investigated theoretically. By approximating the cell shape as a straight helix and using the slender-body-theory approximation of Stokesian hydrodynamics, the resistance matrix of \\textit{Leptospira} is first determined numerically. The passive diffusion of the helical cell is then obtained computationally using a Langevin formulation which is sampled in time in a manner c...

In this work, we focus on hydrogen passivation of silicon nanowire structures (SiNWs) obtained by metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) intended to be used in silicon-based solar cells. SiNWs present high surface defects density causing the minority carrier lifetime reduction. Our results show that hydrogen passivation of SiNWs ameliorates minority carrier lifetime by reducing the dangling bonds and then the surface recombination velocity. This enhancement is limited by SiNWs distribution.

The present disclosure is related to a transmitter, a receiver, a method for transmitting information, and a method of receiving information in a system which simplifies receiver structure and improves the performance in an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system. The transmitter comprises a module for generating a passive phase conjugation probe signal for transmission. The receiver comprises a passive phase conjugation module. The method for transmitting information compris...

In 2012-2013, IBACOS worked with a builder, Brookfield Homes in Denver, Colorado, to design and construct a Passive House certified model home. IBACOS used several modeling programs and calculation methods to complete the final design package along with Brookfield's architect KGA Studio. This design package included upgrades to the thermal enclosure, basement insulation, windows, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Short-term performance testing in the Passive House was done during construction and after construction.

The objective of this study is to characterize the oxidation behavior of 304L stainless steel (SS) in representative conditions of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, i.e. in hot and concentrated nitric acid. In these conditions the SS electrochemical potential is in the passive domain and its corrosion rate is low. However when the media becomes more aggressive, the potential may be shifted towards the trans-passive domain characterized with a high corrosion rate. Passivity and passivity breakdown in the trans-passive domain are of a major interest for the industry. So as to characterize these phenomenons, this work was undertaken with the following representative conditions: a 304L SS from an industrial sheet was studied, the media was hot and concentrated HNO3, long term tests were performed. First, the surface of an immersed 304L SS was characterized with several complementary techniques from the micro to the nanometer scale. Then oxidation kinetics was studied in the passive and in the trans-passive domain. The oxidation behavior was studied thanks to weight loss determination and surface analysis. Finally, oxidation evolution as a function of the potential was studied from the passive to the trans-passive domain. In particular, this allowed us to obtain the anodic curve of 304L SS in hot and concentrated and to define precisely the 304L SS limits of in such conditions. (author)

Catalogs various internal constraints under which many public relations practitioners work, including constraints on (1) access to management; (2) information collection; (3) dissemination of timely, accurate information; and (4) the public relations mission. Reports that most practitioners see organizational constraints as more of a problem for…

Constraint satisfaction problems are a powerful way to abstract and represent academic and real-world problems from both artificial intelligence and operations research. A constraint satisfaction problem is typically addressed by a sequential constraint solver running on a single processor. Rather than construct a new, parallel solver, this work…

In order to solve the bearings-only passive localization problem in the presence of erroneous observer position,a novel algorithm based on double side matrix-restricted total least squares (DSMRTLS) is proposed.First,the aforementioned passive localization problem is transferred to the DSMRTLS problem by deriving a multiplicative structure for both the observation matrix and the observation vector.Second,the corresponding optimization problem of the DSMRTLS problem without constraint is derived,which can be approximated as the generalized Rayleigh quotient minimization problem.Then,the localization solution which is globally optimal and asymptotically unbiased can be got by generalized eigenvalue decomposition.Simulation results verify the rationality of the approximation and the good performance of the proposed algorithm compared with several typical algorithms.

The effect of hydrogen passivation on multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) used for solar cells is described, and the mechanism of hydrogen diffusion and passivation is also investigated. Then, the hydrogen passivation processes applied in industries and research laboratories are introduced. Finally the existing problems and the prospects of hydrogen passivation are reviewed.

How do animals in groups organize their work? Division of labour, i.e. the process by which individuals within a group choose which tasks to perform, has been extensively studied in social insects. Variability among individuals within a colony seems to underpin both the decision over which tasks to perform and the amount of effort to invest in a task. Studies have focused mainly on discrete tasks, i.e. tasks with a recognizable end. Here, we study the distribution of effort in nest seeking, in the absence of new nest sites. Hence, this task is open-ended and individuals have to decide when to stop searching, even though the task has not been completed. We show that collective search effort declines when colonies inhabit better homes, as a consequence of a reduction in the number of bouts (exploratory events). Furthermore, we show an increase in bout exploration time and a decrease in bout instantaneous speed for colonies inhabiting better homes. The effect of treatment on bout effort is very small; however, we suggest that the organization of work performed within nest searching is achieved both by a process of self-selection of the most hard-working ants and individual effort adjustment. PMID:26909180

The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE), at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been shut down since 1969 when the fuel salt was drained from the core into two Hastelloy N tanks at the reactor site. In 1995, a multiyear project was launched to remediate the potentially hazardous conditions generated by the movement of fissile material and reactive gases from the storage tanks into the piping system and an auxiliary charcoal bed (ACB). The top 12 in. of the ACB is known by gamma scan and thermal analysis to contain about 2.6 kg U-233. According to the laboratory tests, a few feet of fluorinated charcoal are believed to extend beyond the uranium front. The remainder of the ACB should consist of unreacted charcoal. Fluorinated charcoal, when subjected to rapid heating, can decompose generating gaseous products. Under confined conditions, the sudden exothermic decomposition can produce high temperatures and pressures of near-explosive characteristics. Since it will be necessary to drill and tap the ACB to allow installation of piping and instrumentation for remediation and recovery activities, it is necessary to chemically convert the reactive fluorinated charcoal into a more stable material. Ammonia can be administered to the ACB as a volatile denaturing agent that results in the conversion of the C{sub x}F to carbon and ammonium fluoride, NH{sub 4}F. The charcoal laden with NH{sub 4}F can then be heated without risking any sudden decomposition. The only consequence of heating the treated material will be the volatilization of NH{sub 4}F as a mixture of NH{sub 3} and HF, which would primarily recombine as NH{sub 4}F on surfaces below 200 C. The planned scheme for the ACB denaturing is to flow diluted ammonia gas in steps of increasing NH{sub 3} concentration, 2% to 50%, followed by the injection of pure ammonia. This report summarizes the planned passivation treatment scheme to stabilize the ACB and remove the potential hazards. It also includes basic information

The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE), at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been shut down since 1969 when the fuel salt was drained from the core into two Hastelloy N tanks at the reactor site. In 1995, a multiyear project was launched to remediate the potentially hazardous conditions generated by the movement of fissile material and reactive gases from the storage tanks into the piping system and an auxiliary charcoal bed (ACB). The top 12 in. of the ACB is known by gamma scan and thermal analysis to contain about 2.6 kg U-233. According to the laboratory tests, a few feet of fluorinated charcoal are believed to extend beyond the uranium front. The remainder of the ACB should consist of unreacted charcoal. Fluorinated charcoal, when subjected to rapid heating, can decompose generating gaseous products. Under confined conditions, the sudden exothermic decomposition can produce high temperatures and pressures of near-explosive characteristics. Since it will be necessary to drill and tap the ACB to allow installation of piping and instrumentation for remediation and recovery activities, it is necessary to chemically convert the reactive fluorinated charcoal into a more stable material. Ammonia can be administered to the ACB as a volatile denaturing agent that results in the conversion of the CxF to carbon and ammonium fluoride, NH4F. The charcoal laden with NH4F can then be heated without risking any sudden decomposition. The only consequence of heating the treated material will be the volatilization of NH4F as a mixture of NH3 and HF, which would primarily recombine as NH4F on surfaces below 200 C. The planned scheme for the ACB denaturing is to flow diluted ammonia gas in steps of increasing NH3 concentration, 2% to 50%, followed by the injection of pure ammonia. This report summarizes the planned passivation treatment scheme to stabilize the ACB and remove the potential hazards. It also includes basic information, results of laboratory tests

Automating the constraint modelling process is one of the key challenges facing the constraints field, and one of the principal obstacles preventing widespread adoption of constraint solving. This paper focuses on the refinement-based approach to automated modelling, where a user specifies a problem in an abstract constraint specification language and it is then automatically refined into a constraint model. In particular, we revisit the Conjure system that first appeared in prototype form in 2005 and present a new implementation with a much greater coverage of the specification language Essence.

We present a method for specialising the constraints in constrained Horn clauses with respect to a goal. We use abstract interpretation to compute a model of a query-answer transformation of a given set of clauses and a goal. The effect is to propagate the constraints from the goal top-down and...... propagate answer constraints bottom-up. Our approach does not unfold the clauses at all; we use the constraints from the model to compute a specialised version of each clause in the program. The approach is independent of the abstract domain and the constraints theory underlying the clauses. Experimental...

The efficiency of a fluid mixing device is often limited by fundamental laws and/or design constraints, such that a perfectly homogeneous mixture cannot be obtained in finite time. Here, we address the natural corollary question: Given the best available mixer, what is the optimal initial tracer pattern that leads to the most homogeneous mixture after a prescribed finite time? For ideal passive tracers, we show that this optimal initial condition coincides with the right singular vector (corresponding to the smallest singular value) of a suitably truncated Koopman operator. The truncation of the Koopman operator is made under the assumption that there is a small length-scale threshold $\\ell_\

Many researchers in artificial intelligence are beginning to explore the use of soft constraints to express a set of (possibly conflicting) problem requirements. A soft constraint is a function defined on a collection of variables which associates some measure of desirability with each possible combination of values for those variables. However, the crucial question of the computational complexity of finding the optimal solution to a collection of soft constraints has so far received very little attention. In this paper we identify a class of soft binary constraints for which the problem of finding the optimal solution is tractable. In other words, we show that for any given set of such constraints, there exists a polynomial time algorithm to determine the assignment having the best overall combined measure of desirability. This tractable class includes many commonly-occurring soft constraints, such as 'as near as possible' or 'as soon as possible after', as well as crisp constraints such as 'greater than'. F...

We study how spatial constraints are reflected in the percolation properties of networks embedded in one-dimensional chains and two-dimensional lattices. We assume long-range connections between sites on the lattice where two sites at distance r are chosen to be linked with probability p(r)~r-δ. Similar distributions have been found in spatially embedded real networks such as social and airline networks. We find that for networks embedded in two dimensions, with 24 it belongs to the universality class of percolation in regular lattices. For networks embedded in one dimension, we find that, for δ2 there is no percolation transition as in regular linear chains.

horror (the affection on the body) and lastly the emotion of belief (“the idea that God exists”). In that sense, the poetics of horror can as well draw heavily upon the idea of mimetic aspects of fiction and, basically and correspondingly, Lucio Fulci’s cult film The Beyond is a core example of how...... horror draws upon another implication in the word ‘cult’, namely the religious cult. Both religion and horror deals with going beyond the constraints of reality....

The analysis shows differences in definition of apssive house criterias. It also communicates issues os the passive house concept that are nor completely transferred by the Norwegian passive house standard.......The analysis shows differences in definition of apssive house criterias. It also communicates issues os the passive house concept that are nor completely transferred by the Norwegian passive house standard....

Full Text Available The principle of minimum work (PMW is a parametric optimization model for the growth and adaptation of arterial trees. A balance between energy dissipation due to frictional resistance of laminar flow (shear stress and the minimum volume of the blood and vessel wall tissue is achieved when the vessel radii are adjusted to the cube root of the volumetric flow. The PMW is known to apply over several magnitudes of vessel calibers, and in many different organs, including the brain, in humans and in animals. Animal studies suggest that blood flow in arteries is approximately proportional to the cube of the vessel radius, and that arteries alter their caliber in response to sustained changes of blood flow according to PMW. Remodelling of the retinal arteriolar network to long-term changes in blood flow was observed in humans. Remodelling of whole arterial networks occurs in the form of increase or diminishing of vessel calibers. Shear stress induced endothelial mediation seems to be the regulating mechanism for the maintenance of this optimum blood flow/vessel diameter relation. Arterial trees are also expected to be nearly space filing. The vascular system is constructed in such a way that, while blood vessels occupy only a small percentage of the body volume leaving the bulk to tissue, they also crisscross organs so tightly that every point in the tissue lies on the boundary between an artery and a vein. This review describes how the energetic optimum principle for least energy cost for blood flow is also compatible with the spatial constraints of arterial networks according to concepts derived from fractal geometry.

The current invention provides a passive sampling device suitable for collecting and detecting the presence of target analytes. In particular, the passive sampling device is suitable for detecting nitro-aromatic compounds. The current invention further provides a passive sampling device reader suitable for determining the collection of target analytes. Additionally, the current invention provides methods for detecting target analytes using the passive sampling device and the passive sampling device reader.

This project addressed the key technical issues for development of an efficient smart window based on reversible electrochemical transfer of silver between a mirror electrode and a localized counter electrode. Effort to provide uniform switching over large areas focused on use of a resistive transparent electrode innerlayer to increase the interelectrode resistance. An effective edge seal was developed in collaboration with adhesive suppliers and an electrochromic device manufacturer. Work to provide a manufacturable counter electrode focused on fabricating a dot matrix electrode without photolithography by electrodeposition of Pt nuclei on inherent active sites on a transparent oxide conductor. An alternative counter electrode based on a conducting polymer and an ionic liquid electrolyte was also investigated. Work in all of these areas was successful. Sputtered large-bandgap oxide innerlayers sandwiched between conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) layers were shown to provide sufficient cross-layer resistance (>300 ohm/cm{sup 2}) without significantly affecting the electrochemical properties of the ITO overlayer. Two edge seal epoxies, one procured from an epoxy manufacturer and one provided by an electrochromic device manufacturer in finished seals, were shown to be effective barriers against oxygen intrusion up to 80 C. The optimum density of nuclei for the dot matrix counter electrode was attained without use of photolithography by electrodeposition from a commercial alkaline platinum plating bath. Silver loss issues for cells with dot matrix electrodes were successfully addressed by purifying the electrolyte and adjusting the cell cycling parameters. More than 30K cycles were demonstrated for a REM cell (30-cm square) with a dot matrix counter electrode. Larger cells (30-cm square) were successfully fabricated but could not be cycled since the nucleation layers (provided by an outside supplier) were defective so that mirror deposits could not be produced.

We explore the relationship between trade adjustment subsidies and successful reciprocal trade liberalization. We consider economies that are faced with a periodic need to move resources out of a declining import-competing sector, and that are attempting to sustain cooperative but self-enforcing trade agreements in the face of these adjustment needs. If the limitations associated with enforcement of international trade agreements are sufficiently severe, trade adjustment assistance can facili...

"This article provides a broad assessment of the settlement and adjustment of people born in the many countries of Asia who are resident in Australia, based on recently available data from the 1991 Census of Population and Housing. It examines some indicators of economic adjustment such as performance in the labor market, and some indicators of social adjustment, such as acquisition of English language proficiency." PMID:12289777

The neutron monochromator attitude-adjusting table is one of the mechanical components for most monochromatic neutron scattering spectrometer. It is mainly used for mounting crystal monochromator, and getting monochromatic neutron by adjusting the attitude of monochromator remotely. The table has a compact volume and five adjusting axes with high resolution. It combines optic mechanical electronic technique with computer control technique. This device will be applied to the neutron residual stress spectrometer on CARR firstly. (authors)

The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) implemented risk adjustment for Medicare capitated organizations January 2000. The risk adjustment system used, the Principal Inpatient Diagnostic Cost Group (PIPDCG) method, had to be incorporated into the payment structure mandated by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA). This article describes how risk adjustment was integrated into the payment system within the rules of the BBA, and how fee-for-service (FFS) and health maintenance organizat...

We analyze the distributional eÂ¤ects of adjustment cost in an environment with incomplete capital market. We find that a higher adjustment cost for human capital acquisition slows down the intergenerational mobility and results in a persistent inequality across generations. A low depreciation cost of human capital contributes to longer life of the capital which could elevate this adjustment cost and hence contribute to this inequality persistence. A lower total factor productivity could hurt...

Executed bimanual movements are prepared slower when moving to symbolically different than when moving to symbolically same targets and when targets are mapped to target locations in a left/right fashion than when they are mapped in an inner/outer fashion [Weigelt et al. (Psychol Res 71:238-447, 2007)]. We investigated whether these cognitive bimanual coordination constraints are observable in motor imagery. Participants performed fast bimanual reaching movements from start to target buttons. Symbolic target similarity and mapping were manipulated. Participants performed four action conditions: one execution and three imagination conditions. In the latter they indicated starting, ending, or starting and ending of the movement. We measured movement preparation (RT), movement execution (MT) and the combined duration of movement preparation and execution (RTMT). In all action conditions RTs and MTs were longer in movements towards different targets than in movements towards same targets. Further, RTMTs were longer when targets were mapped to target locations in a left/right fashion than when they were mapped in an inner/outer fashion, again in all action conditions. RTMTs in imagination and execution were similar, apart from the imagination condition in which participants indicated the start and the end of the movement. Here MTs, but not RTs, were longer than in the execution condition. In conclusion, cognitive coordination constraints are present in the motor imagery of fast (motor imagery. PMID:25758054

Full Text Available A Mathematical Program with Linear Complementarity Constraints (MPLCC is an optimization problem where a continuously differentiable function is minimized on a set defined by linear constraints and complementarity conditions on pairs of complementary variables. This problem finds many applications in several areas of science, engineering and economics and is also an important tool for the solution of some NP-hard structured and nonconvex optimization problems, such as bilevel, bilinear and nonconvex quadratic programs and the eigenvalue complementarity problem. In this paper some of the most relevant applications of the MPLCC and formulations of nonconvex optimization problems as MPLCCs are first presented. Algorithms for computing a feasible solution, a stationary point and a global minimum for the MPLCC are next discussed. The most important nonlinear programming methods, complementarity algorithms, enumerative techniques and 0 - 1 integer programming approaches for the MPLCC are reviewed. Some comments about the computational performance of these algorithms and a few topics for future research are also included in this survey.

It is the important feature of passive system and the basic difference from the active system that nuclear plant can be driven to safe state or shutdown by inherent safety characters of the reactor and physical principles, independent of human interfere or the operation of outside equipment, when the reactor is in abnormal condition. So passive system is widely used in new generation nuclear power plant(NPP) such as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and AP1000 NPPs. While physical process failure become one of the important contributors to the system operation failure since system operation is depending on natural force but not on outside power and both the driven force and resistance are influenced by many uncertain factors. Then finding the key factors for the system operation, analyzing the development of the passive system combining with the accident scenarios are the main steps of the analysis of the passive system reliability, and the important content of the probability safety assessment (PSA) of nuclear plant with the passive design. (authors)

Photorespiratory limitations on C3 photosynthesis are substantial in warm, low CO2 conditions. To compensate, certain plants evolved mechanisms to actively concentrate CO2 around Rubisco using ATP-supported CO2 pumps such as C4 photosynthesis. Plants can also passively accumulate CO2 without additional ATP expenditure by localizing the release of photorespired and respired CO2 around Rubisco that is diffusively isolated from peripheral air spaces. Passive accumulation of photorespired CO2 occurs when glycine decarboxylase is localized to vascular sheath cells in what is termed C2 photosynthesis, and through forming sheaths of chloroplasts around the periphery of mesophyll cells. The peripheral sheaths require photorespired CO2 to re-enter chloroplasts where it can be refixed. Passive accumulation of respiratory CO2 is common in organs such as stems, fruits and flowers, due to abundant heterotrophic tissues and high diffusive resistance along the organ periphery. Chloroplasts within these organs are able to exploit this high CO2 to reduce photorespiration. CO2 concentration can also be enhanced passively by channeling respired CO2 from roots and rhizomes into photosynthetic cells of stems and leaves via lacunae, aerenchyma and the xylem stream. Through passive CO2 concentration, C3 species likely improved their carbon economy and maintained fitness during episodes of low atmospheric CO2. PMID:27058940

Highlights: • Zinc passive films were characterised by electrochemical tests coupled with cross sectional FIB-SEM. • Passive layers at pH > 12 comprised of an outer precipitated layer and inner compact oxide. • The electrolyte pH influences the nature/stability of the outer precipitated layer and this impacts the passive state on zinc. • The precipitated layers on zinc at pH 12 support cathode reactions and catalyse oxide growth. -- Abstract: Passive films nominally consist of an inner compact oxide and the outer precipitated layer. In the case of zinc (Zn), the outer layer is mainly precipitated ZnO/Zn(OH)2. Electrolyte pH controls the stability of the outer precipitated layer. In a pH 13 solution, formation of soluble Zn(OH)3− and Zn(OH)42− phases render the precipitated layer unstable increasing zinc corrosion, whereas at pH 12, the precipitated layer (ZnO/Zn(OH)2) is more stable making it an effective anodic barrier upon zinc. These precipitated oxides formed at pH 12 support cathodic reactions on their surface which in turn catalyse further oxide growth by a cathodically driven process. Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) was used to support some of the electrochemical assertions, revealing the form and morphology of the passive layers that grow upon zinc exposed to alkaline solutions

The H.E.S.S. experiment, an array of four Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes, widened the horizon of Very High Energy (VHE) astronomy. Its unprecedented sensitivity is well suited for the study of new classes of expected VHE emitters, such as passive galactic nuclei that are the main focus of the work presented in this thesis. Acceleration of particles up to Ultra High Energies is expected in the magnetosphere of supermassive black holes (SMBH). The radiation losses of these accelerated particles are expected to reach the VHE regime in which H.E.S.S. operates. Predicted fluxes exceed the sensitivity of the array. However, strong photon fields in the surrounding of the acceleration region might absorb the produced radiation. Therefore observations focus on those galactic nuclei that are underluminous at lower photon energies. This work presents data collected by the H.E.S.S. telescopes on the test candidate NGC 1399 and their interpretation. While no detection has been achieved, important constraints can be derived from the obtained upper limits on the maximum energy attainable by the accelerated particles and on the magnetic field strength in the acceleration region. A limit on the magnetic field of B < 74 Gauss is given. The limit is model dependent and a scaling of the result with the assumptions is given. This is the tightest empirical constraint to date. Because of the lack of signal from the test candidate, a stacking analysis has been performed on similar sources in three cluster fields. A search for signal from classes of active galactic nuclei has also been made in the same three fields. None of the analyzed samples revealed a significant signal. Also presented are the expectations for the next generation of Cherenkov Telescopes and an outlook on the relativistic effects expected on the VHE emission close to SMBH. (orig.)

The H.E.S.S. experiment, an array of four Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes, widened the horizon of Very High Energy (VHE) astronomy. Its unprecedented sensitivity is well suited for the study of new classes of expected VHE emitters, such as passive galactic nuclei that are the main focus of the work presented in this thesis. Acceleration of particles up to Ultra High Energies is expected in the magnetosphere of supermassive black holes (SMBH). The radiation losses of these accelerated particles are expected to reach the VHE regime in which H.E.S.S. operates. Predicted fluxes exceed the sensitivity of the array. However, strong photon fields in the surrounding of the acceleration region might absorb the produced radiation. Therefore observations focus on those galactic nuclei that are underluminous at lower photon energies. This work presents data collected by the H.E.S.S. telescopes on the test candidate NGC 1399 and their interpretation. While no detection has been achieved, important constraints can be derived from the obtained upper limits on the maximum energy attainable by the accelerated particles and on the magnetic field strength in the acceleration region. A limit on the magnetic field of B < 74 Gauss is given. The limit is model dependent and a scaling of the result with the assumptions is given. This is the tightest empirical constraint to date. Because of the lack of signal from the test candidate, a stacking analysis has been performed on similar sources in three cluster fields. A search for signal from classes of active galactic nuclei has also been made in the same three fields. None of the analyzed samples revealed a significant signal. Also presented are the expectations for the next generation of Cherenkov Telescopes and an outlook on the relativistic effects expected on the VHE emission close to SMBH. (orig.)

Diamond films are deposited on porous Ti substrates by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method. For adjusting the residual stress of substrate and the titanium carbide (TiC) intermediate layer, the substrates are under annealing process firstly, then are put into alkaline solution with electricity oxidation, and finally composite membranes are obtained by HFCVD, which are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), metalloscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results show that the composite membranes deposited on unannealed substrates are cracked obviously in both sides and broken off easily. After annealing process, the membranes are no longer cracked easily, because the tensile stress distributed in substrates is significantly relieved. After passivation process, TiC generated between diamond film and substrate is less than that without passivation process.

Simple ratios in which a measurement variable is divided by a size variable are commonly used but known to be inadequate for eliminating size correlations from morphometric data. Deficiencies in the simple ratio can be alleviated by incorporating regression coefficients describing the bivariate relationship between the measurement and size variables. Recommendations have included: 1) subtracting the regression intercept to force the bivariate relationship through the origin (intercept-adjusted ratios); 2) exponentiating either the measurement or the size variable using an allometry coefficient to achieve linearity (allometrically adjusted ratios); or 3) both subtracting the intercept and exponentiating (fully adjusted ratios). These three strategies for deriving size-adjusted ratios imply different data models for describing the bivariate relationship between the measurement and size variables (i.e., the linear, simple allometric, and full allometric models, respectively). Algebraic rearrangement of the equation associated with each data model leads to a correctly formulated adjusted ratio whose expected value is constant (i.e., size correlation is eliminated). Alternatively, simple algebra can be used to derive an expected value function for assessing whether any proposed ratio formula is effective in eliminating size correlations. Some published ratio adjustments were incorrectly formulated as indicated by expected values that remain a function of size after ratio transformation. Regression coefficients incorporated into adjusted ratios must be estimated using least-squares regression of the measurement variable on the size variable. Use of parameters estimated by any other regression technique (e.g., major axis or reduced major axis) results in residual correlations between size and the adjusted measurement variable. Correctly formulated adjusted ratios, whose parameters are estimated by least-squares methods, do control for size correlations. The size-adjusted

Several factors contribute to distortion of implant prostheses during fabrication and could prevent passive, accurate adaptation between implants and implant frameworks. The misfit between implants and restorative components may be significant and possibly lead to biologic or mechanical complications. The aim of this article is to describe a laboratory luting technique used to lute implant cylinders to metal frameworks in implant prostheses. This technique provides accurate, passive fits. According to this technique, titanium implant cylinders provided with corresponding external castable cylinders are used. Implant cylinders are screwed into the analogs in the master cast while the castable cylinders on top are splinted together using castable resin to realize a castable resin pattern. After casting, the framework is adjusted and cemented to the titanium cylinders on the master cast. Due to its ease and quickness of use and clinical efficiencies, this technique is deemed particularly useful in immediate loading rehabilitations. PMID:25898912

Early childhood antecedents of elementary school aggression and passive-withdrawal were evaluated in a large longitudinal study (N = 191). With teacher ratings as outcome measures, a variety of predictor variables were selected from a comprehensive data base. Predictors were selected to represent several major factors: (a) a developmental history of insecure attachment and poor adjustment; (b) inadequate or hostile parental care; and (c) stressful or chaotic life circumstances. Support was found for the prediction of these behavior problems from early childhood measures (up to one third of the variance), with results varying with sex and outcome measure. Results were stronger for boys than girls, and stronger for aggression than for passive-withdrawal. Boys' outcome was strongly related to attachment classification at 18 months. It is suggested that these findings support Bowlby's view that early acquired "working models" of self and other affect later interpersonal functioning. PMID:2769557

Tuned vibration absorbers have become common for passive vibration reduction in many industrial applications. Lightly damped absorbers (also called neutralizers) can be used to suppress narrowband disturbances by tuning them to the excitation frequency. If the resonance is adapted in-operation, the performance of those devices can be significantly enhanced, or inertial mass can be decreased. However, the integration of actuators, sensors and control electronics into the system raises new design challenges. In this work, the development of adaptive-passive systems for vibration reduction at an industrial scale is presented. As an example, vibration reduction of a ship engine was studied in a full scale test. Simulations were used to study the feasibility and evaluate the system concept at an early stage. Several ways to adjust the resonance of the neutralizer were evaluated, including piezoelectric actuation and common mechatronic drives. Prototypes were implemented and tested. Since vibration absorbers suffer from high dynamic loads, reliability tests were used to assess the long-term behavior under operational conditions and to improve the components. It was proved that the adaptive systems are capable to withstand the mechanical loads in an industrial application. Also a control strategy had to be implemented in order to track the excitation frequency. The most mature concepts were integrated into the full scale test. An imbalance exciter was used to simulate the engine vibrations at a realistic level experimentally. The neutralizers were tested at varying excitation frequencies to evaluate the tracking capabilities of the control system. It was proved that a significant vibration reduction is possible.

Antibodies play an important role in the defense against infectious diseases. Passive immunization provides immediate protection through transfer of exogenous antibodies to a recipient. It is mainly used for prophylaxis in dogs and cats that failed to receive maternal antibodies through the colostrum or when there is an acute risk to acquire infectious diseases. Only a small number of placebo-controlled studies have been published regarding the therapeutic use of passive immunization in small animals. While positive effects were reported in cats with acute virus infections of the upper respiratory tract and in dogs with distemper, no statistically significant influence could be demonstrated in the treatment of canine parvovirosis. Prospective, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled studies using adequate numbers of patients are warranted for a definitive statement regarding the therapeutic and prophylactic use of passive immunization in dogs and cats. PMID:27410719

Passive design principles (super insulation, airtight envelopes, elimination of thermal bridges, etc.) - pioneered in North America in the 70s and 80s and refined in Europe in the 90s have proven to be universally effective to significantly reduce heating and cooling loads. However, a single, rigid performance metric developed in Germany has led to limited uptake of passive building principles in many regions of the United States. It has also, in many cases, promoted some design decisions that had negative effects on economic feasibility and thermal comfort. This study's main objective is to validate (in a theoretical sense) verifiable, climate-specific passive standards and space conditioning criteria that retain ambitious, environmentally-necessary energy reduction targets and are economically feasible, such standards provide designers an ambitious but achievable performance target on the path to zero.

Alloy 22 (NO6022) was designed to stand the most aggressive industrial applications, including both reducing and oxidizing acids. Even in the most aggressive environments, if the temperature is lower than 150 F (66 C) Alloy 22 would remain in the passive state having particularly low corrosion rates. In multi-ionic solutions that may simulate the behavior of concentrated ground water, even at near boiling temperatures, the corrosion rate of Alloy 22 is only a few nano-meters per year because the alloy is in the complete passive state. The corrosion rate of passive Alloy 22 decreases as the time increases. Immersion corrosion testing also show that the newer generation of Ni-Cr-Mo alloys may offer a better corrosion resistance than Alloy 22 only in some highly aggressive conditions such as in hot acids

A new advanced integral reactor of 330 MWt thermal capacity named SMART (System-Integrated Modular Advanced Reactor) is currently under development in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) for multi-purpose applications. Modular once-through steam generator (SG) and self-pressurizing pressurizer equipped with wet thermal insulator and cooler are essential components of the SMART. The SMART provides safety systems such as Passive Residual Heat Removal System (PRHRS). In this study, a computer code for performance analysis of the PRHRS is developed by modeling relevant components and systems of the SMART. Using this computer code, a performance analysis of the PRHRS is performed in order to check whether the passive cooling concept using the PRHRS is feasible. The results of the analysis show that PRHRS of the SMART has excellent passive heat removal characteristics. 2 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab. (Author)

methods are plentiful, it is difficult to determine which one to use to get the anticipated result. The aim of this study was to compare two commonly used methods in small Danish streams to improve the physical condition: re-meandering and passive restoration through cease of maintenance. Our...... investigation included measurement of the physical conditions in 29 stream reaches covering four different groups: (1) re-meandered streams, (2) LDC streams (the least disturbed streams available), (3) passively restored streams (>10 years stop of aintenance) and (4) channelized and non-restored streams. The in......-stream habitats were compared through analysis of the measured physical parameters and by applying a habitat model. We found that re-meandering is a more effective way of re-creating near-natural physical conditions in small streams compared to passive restoration. This is probably due to the limited energy in...

A method has been developed by means of which the contribution of passive solar energy to the Dutch energy balance can be quantified univocally. The monitoring will be directed at the absolute amount of used solar energy, the relative contribution of passive solar energy to the energy demand in the Netherlands, and the average efficiency of passive solar energy systems. Based on a model of the total building stock the quantities to be monitored can be determined. The most important parameters in the model are: the window surface per orientation, the average U-value (heat transfer coefficient) of windows, the average ZTA-value (incoming solar radiation factor) of windows, and the presence of sun lounges and atriums

@@ We present a novel kind of pulsed laser named controllable passively Q-switched laser (CPQL). A CPQL of Nd:YVO4 with Cr:YAG as saturable absorber was demonstrated and studied as an example of the kind of pulsed lasers. In CPQL, as the actively controlling signal, a diode laser beam was focused onto the saturable absorber in the resonant cavity of the passively Q-switched laser (PQL) and was absorbed by the absorber to realize the active control of the CPQL. The characters of the CPQL output laser pulses, such as generation time, repetition rate, pulse width, peak power and energy per pulse, can be controlled by the operator. The CPQLs possess the advantages of both passively Q-switched laser and actively Q-switched 1aser. Because of their compactness, low cost and controllability, the CPQLs will find wide applications in many fields.

A passive sensor for historic age and temperature sensing, including a first member formed of a first material, the first material being either a metal or a semiconductor material and a second member formed of a second material, the second material being either a metal or a semiconductor material. A surface of the second member is in contact with a surface of the first member such that, over time, the second material of the second member diffuses into the first material of the first member. The rate of diffusion for the second material to diffuse into the first material depends on a temperature of the passive sensor. One of the electrical conductance, the electrical capacitance, the electrical inductance, the optical transmission, the optical reflectance, or the crystalline structure of the passive sensor depends on the amount of the second material that has diffused into the first member.

Full Text Available We know active and passive methods of a location. This article deals only with a passive location of dynamic targets. The passive optics location is suitable just for tracking of targets with mean velocity which is limited by the hardware basis. The aim of this work is to recognize plasma, particles etc. It is possible to propose such kind of evaluation methods which improve the capture probability markedly. Suggested method is dealing with the short-distance evaluation of targets. We suppose the application of three independent principles how to recognize an object in a scanned picture. These principles use similar stochastic functions in order to evaluate an object location by means of simple mathematical operations. Methods are based on direct evaluation of picture sequence by the help of the histogram and frequency spectrum. We find out the probability of unidentified moving object in pictures. If the probability reaches a setting value we will get a signal.

The US EPA is becoming increasingly aware of costs and the limited success of existing remediation strategies. Research teams within the US EPA believe that if passive remediation can be successfully demonstrated, it is a candidate for best available technology. Passive remediation, however, must be demonstrated through the use of monitoring techniques, which demonstrate: contaminants are not moving in the dissolved, adsorbed or free product phase; and contamination is biodegrading in-place. This paper presents a concise monitoring and analysis strategy for passive remediation. Specifically, the paper presents the accuracy, precision and operating range of neutron moderation techniques as a low cost, real-time screening tool to measure the migration of the dissolved phase in soil moisture, the stabilized adsorbed phase and free product movement. In addition, the paper identifies the capillary pressure range through which the dissolved phase will move and identifies techniques for satisfying the risk analysis that movement is not taking place. The rationale for passive remediation taking place is confirmed through a discussion of gas ratios associated with bacterial assimilation of hydrocarbons. Gas ratios which are relatively constant above ground are highly inverted in the subsurface at contamination sites. The use of frequent screening of a vertical geologic profile using least cost techniques and the infrequent analysis of soil gas ratios provides the required data upon which the public will accept passive remediation as best available technology at a particular site. The paper points out that neutron moderation is a high candidate vadose zone monitoring device and identifies alternative techniques using resistivity and dielectric constants, which are in the developmental stage. The economic implications for passive remediation are enormous relative to the excavation and remediation strategies which are currently in use

The objective of the TEPSS project was to make significant additions to the technology base of the European Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR). The project focused on mixing and stratification phenomena in large water pools, passive decay heat removal from containments, and effects of aerosol deposition inside a passive heat exchanger. The PSI experimental facility LINX (Large-scale Investigation of Natural Circulation and Mixing) has been used to investigate venting of steam and steam-noncondensable gas mixtures into water pools. The test revealed that no significant steam bypass could be detected when injecting a mixture of steam or air and that mixing was very efficient. In addition to the tests, 3-D numerical computations and initial model development have been performed to study the behaviour of bubble plumes in water pools. The major part of the TEPSS project studied selective aspects of the response technology of modem pressure-suppression type containment designs and of passive-type decay heat removal systems. The work included an experimental phase using the large-scale experimental facility PANDA (Passive Nachwaermeabfuhr und Druckabbau), operated by PSI, where eight experiments successfully have been executed to test the performance of the ESBWR containment configuration. The PANDA tests have been analysed successfully using thermalhydraulic system analysis codes and 3-D CFD codes. The AIDA (Aerosol Impaction and Deposition Analysis) experimental facility of PSI has been used to investigate the degradation of passive decay heat removal due to fission product aerosols deposited on the inside surfaces of the PCC (Passive Containment Cooler) heat exchanger tubes. The one test performed revealed that the degradation of the heat transfer in the PCC tubes due to the deposition of aerosols reached about 20%. The test has been analysed using the MELCOR severe accident analysis code. (author)

Full Text Available Purpose: The aim of the paper is investigations a dependence between the parameters of the electrochemical treatment of austenitic steel and their electrochemical behavior in Tyrod solution.Design/methodology/approach: Specimens (rode 30 mm × ø1 mm were to give in to the surface treatment – mechanically polishing, electrolytic polishing and passivation with various parameter. Electrochemical investigations concerning the corrosion resistance of austenitic steel samples were carried out by means of the potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method.Findings: The analysis of the obtained results leads to the conclusion that chemical passivation affects also the chemical composition of the passive layer of steel and changes its resistance to corrosion. Electrolytic polishing improves corrosion resistance, as can be proved by the shift of the value of the corrosion potential and break-down potential of the passive layer and the initiation of pittings.Research limitations/implications: The obtained results are the basis for the optimization of anodic passivation parameters of the austenitic steel as a metallic biomaterial. The future research should be focused on selected more suitable parameters of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy test to better describe process on the solid/ liquid interface.Practical implications: In result of the presented investigations it has been found that the best corrosion resistance can be achieved thanks to the application of electrolytic polishing of the steel in a special bath and chemical passivation in nitric (V acid with an addition of chromic (VI acid temperature t = 60°C for one hour.Originality/value: The enormous demand for metal implants has given rise to a search for cheap materials with a good biotolerance and resistance to corrosion. Most commonly used are steel implants assigned to remain in the organism for some limited time only. It was compare two electrochemical methods

One of the most important principles for nuclear safety is the decay heat removal in accidents. Passive decay heat removal systems are extremely helpful to enhance the safety. In currently design of many advanced nuclear reactors, kinds of passive systems are proposed or developed, such as the passive residual heat removal system, passive injection system, passive containment cooling system. These systems provide entire passive heat removal paths from core to ultimate heat sink. Various kinds of passive systems for decay heat removal are summarized; their common features or differences on heat removal paths and design principle are analyzed. It is found that, these passive decay heat removal paths are similarly common on and connected by several basic heat transfer modes and steps. By the combinations or connections of basic modes and steps, new passive decay heat removal approach or diverse system can be proposed. (authors)

In application of Article R V 2.03 of the Staff Regulations, the internal tax scale has been adjusted with effect on 1 January 2012. The new scale may be consulted via the CERN Admin e-guide. The notification of internal annual tax certificate for the financial year 2012 takes into account this adjustment. HR Department (Tel. 73907)

The need for adjustability in school furniture, in order to accommodate the variation in anthropometric measures of different genders, cultures and ages is becoming increasingly important. Four chair-table combinations, different in dimensions, with adjustable chair seating heights and table heights were designed, manufactured and distributed to…

Principal adjustment programs are reviewed unemployment insurance (UI) and related long-term programs for displaced workers, and trade adjustment assistance (TAA). None of these programs has had wide application in agriculture, although the current trade act contains a new program specifically for farmers.

... Adjustment Factor most recently published by HUD in the Federal Register in accordance with 24 CFR part 888... unassisted housing in the area to ensure that adjustments in the Contract Rents shall not result in material differences between the rents charged for assisted and comparable unassisted units. Contract Rents may...

Although digital games have been developed for various subject areas, little attention has been focused on using digital games to address international students' adjustment issues. For this reason, this paper endeavors to explore the use of a digital game in facilitating international students acquire adjustment-related information. Specifically,…

Examined relationship between psychological separation and adjustment to college in freshmen (N=130) and upperclassmen (N=123). Found freshmen showed more psychological dependencies on parents than upperclassmen; separation appeared more strongly related to personal/emotional adjustment, particularly functional and emotional independence from…

A passive optical diode effect would be useful for on-chip optical information processing but has been difficult to achieve. Using a method based on optical nonlinearity, we demonstrate a forward-backward transmission ratio of up to 28 decibels within telecommunication wavelengths. Our device, which uses two silicon rings 5 micrometers in radius, is passive yet maintains optical nonreciprocity for a broad range of input power levels, and it performs equally well even if the backward input power is higher than the forward input. The silicon optical diode is ultracompact and is compatible with current complementary metal-oxide semiconductor processing. PMID:22194410

As the result of careful interpretation of DOE Order 6430.lA and other DOE Orders, the HVAC system for WRAP 1 has been greatly simplified. The HVAC system is now designed to safely shut down to Passive State if power fails for any reason. The fans cease functioning, allowing the Zone 1 and Zone 2 HVAC Confinement Systems to breathe with respect to atmospheric pressure changes. Simplifying the HVAC system avoided overdesign. Construction costs were reduced by eliminating unnecessary equipment. This report summarizes work that was done to define the criteria, physical concepts, and operational experiences that lead to the passive shutdown design for WRAP 1 confinement HVAC systems

Passive neutron assay of irradiated nuclear fuel has been investigated by calculations and experiments as a simple, complementary technique to the gamma assay. From the calculations it is found that the neutron emission arises mainly from the curium isotopes, the neutrons exhibit very good penetrability of the assemblies, and the neutron multiplication is not affected by the burnup. From the experiments on BWR and PWR assemblies, it is found that the neutron emission rate is proportional to burnup raised to 3.4 power. Recent investigations indicate that the passive neutron assay is a simple and useful technique to determine the consistency of burnups between assemblies. 10 refs

Passive neutron assay of irradiated nuclear fuel has been investigated by calculations and experiments as a simple, complementary technique to the gamma assay. From the calculations it was found that the neutron emission arises mainly from the curium isotopes, the neutrons exhibit very good penetrability of the assemblies, and the neutron multiplication is not affected by the burnup. From the experiments on BWR and PWR assemblies, the neutron emission rate is proportional to burnup raised to 3.4 power. The investigations indicate that the passive neutron assay is a simple and useful technique to determine the consistency of burnups between assemblies

This paper presents some recent experimental results performed with the aim of understanding the mechanism of passive cooling. The AP 600 passive containment cooling system is simulated by an electrically heated vertical pipe, which is cooled by a naturally induced air flow and by a water film descending under gravity. The results demonstrate that although the presence of the water film improved the heat transfer significantly, the mode of heat transfer was very dependent on the experimental parameters. Preheating the water improved both film stability and overall cooling performance

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to gas monitoring systems that use inductive power transfer to safely power an electrically passive device included within a nuclear material storage container. In particular, the electrically passive device can include an inductive power receiver for receiving inductive power transfer through a wall of the nuclear material storage container. The power received by the inductive power receiver can be used to power one or more sensors included in the device. Thus, the device is not required to include active power generation components such as, for example, a battery, that increase the risk of a spark igniting flammable gases within the container.

The nuclear plants designed in the 1970's were equipped with large quantities of snubbers in auxiliary piping systems. The experience revealed a poor performance of snubbers during periodic inspection, while non-nuclear facility piping survived through strong earthquakes. Consequently, seismic design rules evolved towards more realistic criteria and passive dynamic supports were developed to reduce snubber quantities. These solutions improve the pipe reliability during normal operation while reducing the radiation exposure in a sample line is presented with the impact on pipe stresses compared to the results obtained with passive supports named Limit Stops. (author)

This paper reviews several R and D activities associated with the subject of passive cooling systems, conducted by the N.R.C.Negev thermohydraulic group. A short introduction considering different types of thermosyphons and their applications is followed by a detailed description of the experimental work, its results and conclusions. An ongoing research project is focused on the evaluation of the external dry air passive containment cooling system (PCCS) in the AP-600 (Westinghouse advanced pressurized water reactor). In this context some preliminary theoretical results and planned experimental research are for the fature described

A containment system is described that provides complete protection entirely by passive means for the loss of coolant accident in a nuclear power plant and wherein all stored energy released in the coolant blowdown is contained and absorbed while the nuclear fuel is continuously maintained submerged in liquid. The primary containment vessel is restored to a high subatmospheric pressure within a few minutes after accident initiation and the decay heat is safely transferred to the environment while radiolytic hydrogen is contained by passive means

This paper gives an account of the event and argument structure of past participles and the linking between argument structure and valence structure. It further accounts for how participles form perfect and passiv constructions with auxiliaries. We assume that the same participle form is used in...... both types of construction. Our claim is that the valence structure of a past participle is predictable from its semantic type, and that the valence structure predicts with which auciliary a past participle combines in perfect constructions and whether the past participle may occur in passiv...

This patent describes a surface unit of an oil well pumping system, having a walking beam, a suspended carrier bar and an interconnected sucker rod assembly for stroking a reciprocating down-hole pump. It comprises a cross bar having a centrally located passage therein for the sucker rod assembly and adapted to be transversely supported by the carrier bar; a depth adjusting bar, having a centrally located passage therein for the sucker rod assembly, positioned at a selected fixed dimension above and parallel to the cross bar and adapted to operatively support the sucker rod assembly; clamping means for fixing the sucker rod relative to the depth adjusting bar; and hydraulically extendable means supportively connecting the depth adjusting bar to the cross bar on at least each side of the carrier bar for adjusting the selected fixed dimension and maintaining the adjustment during operation.

the assignment. Design/methodology/approach - Using a two-flow sample of US expatriates in Germany and German expatriates in the USA, we examine and compare the psychological and socio-cultural adjustment of each group of executives. Findings - Controlling for the length of assignment, we find that...... German expatriates in the USA were better adjusted, both socio-culturally and psychologically, than American expatriates in Germany. These results support the asymmetry hypothesis and call into question previous findings attesting to the relationship between CD and expatriate adjustment. Originality......Purpose - The current literature implicitly assumes a symmetric impact of cultural distance (CD) on expatriate adjustment. By using distance as a predictor of adjustment, the literature has rendered the direction of the flow irrelevant: a US expatriate in Germany is presumed to face the same hurdle...

This study examined the vocational and social adjustment of 62 persons with cancer of the larynx. Predisability data were obtained by interview on 14 measures which assessed the vocational, social, and home adjustment prior to cancer. Post-disability data were obtained after laryngectomy by interview on 21 measures of adjustment. Additional measures include severity of laryngeal cancer classified by clinival stages, total or partial laryngectomy, presence of radiation therapy, presence of speech, months since surgery, age, sex, education, and marital status. The best predictors of vocational and social adjustment after laryngectomy were: removation, realism, rehabiltation outlook, previous vocational plans, highest educational grade, educational plans, and acquisition of speech. There were no significant differences in adjustment among patients in different clinical stages. PMID:1135615

This paper describes a constraint embedding approach for the handling of local closure constraints in multibody system dynamics. The approach uses spatial operator techniques to eliminate local-loop constraints from the system and effectively convert the system into tree-topology systems. This approach allows the direct derivation of recursive O(N) techniques for solving the system dynamics and avoiding the expensive steps that would otherwise be required for handling the closedchain dynamics. The approach is very effective for systems where the constraints are confined to small-subgraphs within the system topology. The paper provides background on the spatial operator O(N) algorithms, the extensions for handling embedded constraints, and concludes with some examples of such constraints.

Causality places nontrivial constraints on QFT in Lorentzian signature, for example fixing the signs of certain terms in the low energy Lagrangian. In d-dimensional conformal field theory, we show how such constraints are encoded in crossing symmetry of Euclidean correlators, and derive analogous constraints directly from the conformal bootstrap (analytically). The bootstrap setup is a Lorentzian four-point function corresponding to propagation through a shockwave. Crossing symmetry fixes the signs of certain log terms that appear in the conformal block expansion, which constrains the interactions of low-lying operators. As an application, we use the bootstrap to rederive the well known sign constraint on the (∂φ)4 coupling in effective field theory, from a dual CFT. We also find constraints on theories with higher spin conserved currents. Our analysis is restricted to scalar correlators, but we argue that similar methods should also impose nontrivial constraints on the interactions of spinni...

Causality places nontrivial constraints on QFT in Lorentzian signature, for example fixing the signs of certain terms in the low energy Lagrangian. In d dimensional conformal field theory, we show how such constraints are encoded in crossing symmetry of Euclidean correlators, and derive analogous constraints directly from the conformal bootstrap (analytically). The bootstrap setup is a Lorentzian four-point function corresponding to propagation through a shockwave. Crossing symmetry fixes the signs of certain log terms that appear in the conformal block expansion, which constrains the interactions of low-lying operators. As an application, we use the bootstrap to rederive the well known sign constraint on the (∂ ϕ)4 coupling in effective field theory, from a dual CFT. We also find constraints on theories with higher spin conserved currents. Our analysis is restricted to scalar correlators, but we argue that similar methods should also impose nontrivial constraints on the interactions of spinning operators.

Causality places nontrivial constraints on QFT in Lorentzian signature, for example fixing the signs of certain terms in the low energy Lagrangian. In d-dimensional conformal field theory, we show how such constraints are encoded in crossing symmetry of Euclidean correlators, and derive analogous constraints directly from the conformal bootstrap (analytically). The bootstrap setup is a Lorentzian four-point function corresponding to propagation through a shockwave. Crossing symmetry fixes the signs of certain log terms that appear in the conformal block expansion, which constrains the interactions of low-lying operators. As an application, we use the bootstrap to rederive the well known sign constraint on the $(\\partial\\phi)^4$ coupling in effective field theory, from a dual CFT. We also find constraints on theories with higher spin conserved currents. Our analysis is restricted to scalar correlators, but we argue that similar methods should also impose nontrivial constraints on the interactions of spinning o...

This paper concerns how to generate and understand discourse anaphoric noun phrases. I present the results of an analysis of all discourse anaphoric noun phrases (N=1,233) in a corpus of ten narrative monologues, where the choice between a definite pronoun or phrasal NP conforms largely to Gricean constraints on informativeness. I discuss Dale and Reiter's [To appear] recent model and show how it can be augmented for understanding as well as generating the range of data presented here. I argue that integrating centering [Grosz et al., 1983] [Kameyama, 1985] with this model can be applied uniformly to discourse anaphoric pronouns and phrasal NPs. I conclude with a hypothesis for addressing the interaction between local and global discourse processing.

The quantified constraint satisfaction problem (QCSP) is the problem of deciding, given a structure and a first-order prenex sentence whose quantifier-free part is the conjunction of atoms, whether or not the sentence holds on the structure. One obtains a family of problems by defining, for each structure B, the problem QCSP(B) to be the QCSP where the structure is fixed to be B. In this article, we offer a viewpoint on the research program of understanding the complexity of the problems QCSP(B) on finite structures. In particular, we propose and discuss a group of conjectures; throughout, we attempt to place the conjectures in relation to existing results and to emphasize open issues and potential research directions.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to evaluate temporal and spatial variations in the reporting of cases of giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis to a passive surveillance system, and to assess the relationship of those variations to source of drinking water, adjusting for socioeconomic variables. METHODS: The authors analyzed temporal and spatial patterns for 4,058 cases of giardiasis and 230 cases of cryptosporidiosis reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for 1993-1996. Th...

In this research work a simplified translational model of an automotive suspension system is constructed by only considering the translation motion of one wheel of a car. Passive Vehicle Suspension System is converted into Semi Active Vehicle System. Major advantage achieved by this system is that it adjusts the damping of the suspension system without the application of any actuator by using MATLAB® simulations. The semi-active control is found to control the vibration of suspens...

Full Text Available The problem of reproducing dark energy effects is reviewed here with particular interest devoted to cosmography. We summarize some of the most relevant cosmological models, based on the assumption that the corresponding barotropic equations of state evolve as the universe expands, giving rise to the accelerated expansion. We describe in detail the ΛCDM (Λ-Cold Dark Matter and ωCDM models, considering also some specific examples, e.g., Chevallier–Polarsky–Linder, the Chaplygin gas and the Dvali–Gabadadze–Porrati cosmological model. Finally, we consider the cosmological consequences of f(R and f(T gravities and their impact on the framework of cosmography. Keeping these considerations in mind, we point out the model-independent procedure related to cosmography, showing how to match the series of cosmological observables to the free parameters of each model. We critically discuss the role played by cosmography, as a selection criterion to check whether a particular model passes or does not present cosmological constraints. In so doing, we find out cosmological bounds by fitting the luminosity distance expansion of the redshift, z, adopting the recent Union 2.1 dataset of supernovae, combined with the baryonic acoustic oscillation and the cosmic microwave background measurements. We perform cosmographic analyses, imposing different priors on the Hubble rate present value. In addition, we compare our results with recent PLANCK limits, showing that the ΛCDM and ωCDM models seem to be the favorite with respect to other dark energy models. However, we show that cosmographic constraints on f(R and f(T cannot discriminate between extensions of General Relativity and dark energy models, leading to a disadvantageous degeneracy problem.

Due to the increasing demand for electricity, clean, renewable energy resources must be developed. Thus, the objective of the present study was to develop a passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) for portable electronic devices. The power output of six dual DMFCs connected in series with an active area of 4 cm2 was approximately 600 mW, and the power density of the DMFCs was 25 mW cm-2. The DMFCs were evaluated as a power source for mobile phone chargers and media players. The results indicated that the open circuit voltage of the DMFC was between 6.0 V and 6.5 V, and the voltage under operating conditions was 4.0 V. The fuel cell was tested on a variety of cell phone chargers, media players and PDAs. The cost of energy consumption by the proposed DMFC was estimated to be USD 20 W-1, and the cost of methanol is USD 4 kW h. Alternatively, the local conventional electricity tariff is USD 2 kW h. However, for the large-scale production of electronic devices, the cost of methanol will be significantly lower. Moreover, the electricity tariff is expected to increase due to the constraints of fossil fuel resources and pollution. As a result, DMFCs will become competitive with conventional power sources.

We study an economy where infinitely living agents face uninsurable shocks and are allowed default on their debt. After having defaulted, agents are excluded from the economy. We present a equilibrium definition allowing for both credit constraints and default inequilibrium. Indeed, existing theories introduce either default of credit constraint in general equilibrium, but never both. We prove that the optimal allocation includes both credit constraints and default, while the market allocatio...

Version étendue de l'article soumis à la revue IJWET Mining temporal knowledge has many applications. Such knowledge can be all the more interesting as some time constraints between events can be pushed into during theminingtask. As well in data mining as in machine learning, some methods have been proposedto extract and manage such knowledge using temporal constraints. In particular some work has been done to mine generalized sequential patterns. However such constraints are often too cri...

Combining a set of existing constraint solvers into an integrated system of cooperating solvers is a useful and economic principle to solve hybrid constraint problems. In this paper we show that this approach can also be used to integrate different language paradigms into a unified framework. Furthermore, we study the syntactic, semantic and operational impacts of this idea for the amalgamation of declarative and constraint programming.

In this article, I analyze the effects of future liquidity constraints on the investment behavior of two contestants with asymmetric prize valuations in a dynamic contest model. Contestants compete in two consecutive Tullock contests in order to win a contest prize in each period. The loser of the first-period contest can be liquidity constraint in the second period. The model reveals the following four main results: (i) Future liquidity constraints marginally affect today's intensity of comp...

This research addresses whether geographic diversification provides benefits over industry diversification. In the absence of constraints, no empirical evidence is found to support the argument that country diversification is superior. With short-selling constraints, however, the geographic tangency portfolio is not attainable by industry portfolios. Results with upper and lower constraints on portfolio weights as well as an out-of-sample analysis show that geographic diversification almost c...

This study investigates Chinese immigrant students' cross-cultural and school adjustment issues in Japanese schools. Using a quantitative method, a survey which collected students' demographic information, cross-cultural adjustment, and school adjustment questions was administered to 143 Chinese junior high and high school students in…

Full Text Available We explore the idea of using finite automata to implement new constraints for local search (this is already a successful technique in constraint-based global search. We show how it is possible to maintain incrementally the violations of a constraint and its decision variables from an automaton that describes a ground checker for that constraint. We establish the practicality of our approach idea on real-life personnel rostering problems, and show that it is competitive with the approach of [Pralong, 2007].

Methods for pre-screening stress constraints into either primary or side-constraint categories are reviewed; a projection method, which is developed from prior cycle stress resultant history, is introduced as an additional screening parameter. Stress resultant projections are also employed to modify the traditional stress-ratio, side-constraint boundary. A special application of structural modification reanalysis is applied to the critical stress constraints to provide feasible designs that are preferable to those obtained by conventional scaling. Sample problem executions show relatively short run times and fewer design cycle iterations to achieve low structural weights; those attained are comparable to the minimum values developed elsewhere.

This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of measuring the radioactive gas Radon ({sup 222} Rn) with passive detector activated carbon. Alpha Guard, exposure chamber, air sampler, default font Radio, calibrator flow, flow adjuster, ducts drivers: For this, various equipment to make the measurement system as were used. An assembly of such equipment, with specific sequence was used allowing for more efficient exposure of passive detectors Radon gas. Twenty samples were heated to remove moisture and then stored in desiccator until the experiment were made. The exhibition was held passive dosimeters being removed from the chamber, and one hour after, subjected to analysis by gamma spectrometry in germanium (HPGe) for an hour. Subsequently, other measurements were made at scheduled times and sequential for one hour. The results were presented in report form and spectra, measures and graphs generated by Alpha Guard were also extracted. Finally we calculated the efficiency of the passive meter activated carbon. (author)

Gaseous carburising of self-passivating Fe–Cr–Ni alloys in acetylene–hydrogen was investigated for temperatures up to 823 K. Acetylene–hydrogen gas mixtures allow both the activation of the surface and the subsequent carburising at a high and adjustable carburising potential. For relatively low t...... temperatures, carbon stabilised expanded austenite develops, which has high hardness, while retaining the corrosion performance of the untreated alloy; for relatively high temperatures, Cr based carbides develop, and eventually, the material deteriorates by metal dusting corrosion....

Successful implementation of short rotation woody crops requires that the selected species and clones be productive, drought tolerant, and pest resistant. Since water is one of the major limiting factors in poplar (Populus sp.) growth, there is little debate for the need of drought tolerant clones, except on the wettest of sites (e.g., lower Columbia River delta). Whether drought tolerance is compatible with productivity remains a debatable issue. Among the many mechanisms of drought tolerance, dehydration postponement involves the maintenance of high leaf water potential due to, for example, an adequate root system. This trait is compatible with productivity, but requires available soil moisture. When the plant leaf water potential and soil water content decline, the plant must be able to survive drought through dehydration tolerance mechanisms, such as low osmotic potential or osmotic adjustment. Osmotic adjustment and low osmotic potential are considered compatible with growth and yield because they aid in the maintenance of leaf turgor. However, it has been shown that turgor alone does not regulate cell expansion or stomatal conductance and, therefore, the role of osmotic adjustment is debated. Despite this finding, osmotic adjustment has been correlated with grain yield in agronomic crop species, and gene markers responsible for osmotic adjustment are being investigated to improve drought tolerance in productive progenies. Although osmotic adjustment and low osmotic potentials have been investigated in several forest tree species, few studies have investigated the relationship between osmotic adjustment and growth. Most of these studies have been limited to greenhouse or container-grown plants. Osmotic adjustment and rapid growth have been specifically associated in Populus and black spruce (Picea mariuna (Mill.) B.S.P.) progenies. We tested whether these relationships held under field conditions using several poplar clones. In a study of two hybrid poplar

Studies on active and passive tobacco smoking and breast cancer have found inconsistent results. A meta-analysis of observational studies on tobacco smoking and breast cancer occurrence was conducted based on systematic searches for studies with retrospective (case-control) and prospective (cohort) designs. Eligible studies were identified, and relative risk measurements were extracted for active and passive tobacco exposures. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to compute summary relative risks (SRR). Heterogeneity of results between studies was evaluated using the (I (2)) statistics. For ever active smoking, in 27 prospective studies, the SRR for breast cancer was 1.10 (95 % CI [1.09-1.12]) with no heterogeneity (I (2) = 0 %). In 44 retrospective studies, the SRR was 1.08 (95 % CI [1.02-1.14]) with high heterogeneity (I (2) = 59 %). SRRs for current active smoking were 1.13 (95 % CI [1.09-1.17]) in 27 prospective studies and 1.08 (95 % CI [0.97-1.20]) in 22 retrospective studies. The results were stable across different subgroup analyses, notably pre/post-menopause, alcohol consumption adjustments, including/excluding passive smokers from the referent group. For ever passive smoking, in 11 prospective studies, the SRR for breast cancer was 1.07 (95 % CI [1.02-1.13]) with no heterogeneity (I (2) = 1 %). In 20 retrospective studies, the SRR was 1.30 (95 % CI [1.10-1.54]) with high heterogeneity (I (2) = 74 %). Too few prospective studies were available for meaningful subgroup analyses. There is consistent evidence for a moderate increase in the risk of breast cancer in women who smoke tobacco. The evidence for a moderate increase in risk with passive smoking is more substantial than a few years ago. PMID:26546245

The uniformity of the static magnetic field B0 is of prime importance for an MRI system. The passive shimming technique is usually applied to improve the uniformity of the static field by optimizing the layout of a series of steel shims. The steel pieces are fixed in the drawers in the inner bore of the superconducting magnet, and produce a magnetizing field in the imaging region to compensate for the inhomogeneity of the B0 field. In practice, the total mass of steel used for shimming should be minimized, in addition to the field uniformity requirement. This is because the presence of steel shims may introduce a thermal stability problem. The passive shimming procedure is typically realized using the linear programming (LP) method. The LP approach however, is generally slow and also has difficulty balancing the field quality and the total amount of steel for shimming. In this paper, we have developed a new algorithm that is better able to balance the dual constraints of field uniformity and the total mass of the shims. The least square method is used to minimize the magnetic field inhomogeneity over the imaging surface with the total mass of steel being controlled by an L1-norm based constraint. The proposed algorithm has been tested with practical field data, and the results show that, with similar computational cost and mass of shim material, the new algorithm achieves superior field uniformity (43% better for the test case) compared with the conventional linear programming approach.

When the water level of upper or lower reaches of hydraulic power station changes, the adjustable jet pump which is different from traditional fixed jet pump can maintain stable pressure and flow rate for the system of technical water supply of hydraulic power plant. The model test indicates that the efficiency of the adjustable jet pump is slightly lower than fixed jet pump near rating operation point. With the decrease of opening degree, both efficiencies are more and more close to each other. The fundamental performance of I-type adjustable jet pump is better than II-type and the cavitation performance of I-type adjustable jet pump is worse than II-type. Test data also indicate that the performance of adjustable jet pump is very different from fixed jet pump, so the theory of fixed jet pump is not able to be copied to adjustable jet pump. It is necessary to farther study on the performance of the adjustable jet pump. This paper has reference value for analogous design of system of circulation water supply to turbine units in hydraulic power station.

Full Text Available Background : "Crime" is increasing day by day in our society not only in India but also all over the world. In turn, the number of prisoners is also increasing at the same rate. They remain imprisoned for a long duration or in some cases for the whole life. Living in a prison for long time becomes difficult for all inmates. So they often face adjustment and mental health problems. Recent findings suggest that mental illness rate in prison is three times higher than in the general population. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the adjustment and the mental health problem and its relation in the prisoners. Materials and Methods : In the present study, 37 male prisoners of district jail of Dhanbad District of Jharkhand were selected on purposive sampling basis. Each prisoner was given specially designed Performa - Personal Data Sheet, General Health Questionnaire-12 and Bell Adjustment Inventory. Appropriate statistical tools were used to analyze the data. Results: The results obtained showed poor adjustment in social and emotional areas on the adjustment scale. The study also revealed a significant association between adjustment and mental health problem in the prisoners. Conclusion: The prisoners were found to have poor social and emotional adjustment which has strong association with their mental health.

When the water level of upper or lower reaches of hydraulic power station changes, the adjustable jet pump which is different from traditional fixed jet pump can maintain stable pressure and flow rate for the system of technical water supply of hydraulic power plant. The model test indicates that the efficiency of the adjustable jet pump is slightly lower than fixed jet pump near rating operation point. With the decrease of opening degree, both efficiencies are more and more close to each other. The fundamental performance of I-type adjustable jet pump is better than II-type and the cavitation performance of I-type adjustable jet pump is worse than II-type. Test data also indicate that the performance of adjustable jet pump is very different from fixed jet pump, so the theory of fixed jet pump is not able to be copied to adjustable jet pump. It is necessary to farther study on the performance of the adjustable jet pump. This paper has reference value for analogous design of system of circulation water supply to turbine units in hydraulic power station.

Ion-implanted passivated silicon detectors undergo a gradual, then rapid increase in leakage current when exposed to ionizing radiation in the presence of gas between 5-200 Torr. Conditions for generating this effect are discussed and a mechanism is proposed to explain this behavior. Methods for preventing this effect and for recovering detectors damaged in this way are presented.

The origin and construction of a passive solar home near Missoula, Montana is described. The site is a relatively cold and wet north slope huckleberry/larch habitat. The key element of the design is integration of a wood furnace/fireplace/oven into a massive Trombe wall. The design has emerged from an on-going interaction of the builder, site, and materials.

The creation of toroidal current using cyclotron radiation in a passive way is, together with the well known bootstrap current, an interesting method for stationary current drive in high-temperature fusion reactors. Here, instead of externally applied RF-waves, fish-scale like structures at the first wall help to create enough asymmetry in the self generated cyclotron radiation intensity to drive a current within the plasma. The problem of computing passive cyclotron current drive consists of actually two linked problems, which are the computation of the electron equilibrium under the presence of self-generated radiation, and the computation of the photon equilibrium in a bounded system with a distorted electron distribution. This system of integro-differential equations cannot be solved directly in an efficient way. Therefore a linearization procedure was developed to decouple both sets of equations, finally linked through a generalized local current drive efficiency. The problem of the exact accounting for the wall profile effects was reduced to the solution of a Fredholm-type integral equation of the 2nd-kind. Based on all this an extensive computer code was developed to compute the passively driven current as well as radiation losses, radiation transport and overall efficiencies. The results therefrom give an interesting and very detailed insight into the problems related to passive cyclotron current drive

We discuss some social contagion processes to describe the formation and spread of radical opinions. The dynamics of opinion spread involves local threshold processes as well as mean field effects. We calculate and observe phase transitions in the dynamical variables resulting in a rapidly increasing number of passive supporters. This strongly indicates that military solutions are inappropriate.

Ion-implanted passivated silicon detectors undergo a gradual, then rapid increase in leakage current when exposed to ionizing radiation in the presence of gas between 5-200 Torr. Conditions for generating this effect are discussed and a mechanism is proposed to explain this behavior. Methods for preventing this effect and for recovering detectors damaged in this way are presented. (orig.).

Ion-implanted passivated silicon detectors undergo a gradual, then rapid increase in leakage current when exposed to ionizing radiation in the presence of gas between 5-200 Torr. Conditions for generating this effect are discussed and a mechanism is proposed to explain this behavior. Methods for preventing this effect and for recovering detectors damaged in this way are presented. (orig.)

The aim of this work is to identify possible benefits of passive flexibility in biologically-inspired locomotion. Substantial energy savings are likely achieved in natural locomotion by allowing a mix of actively controlled and passively responsive deformation. The jellyfish is a useful target of study, due to its relatively simple structure and the availability of recent kinematics and flow-field measurements. In this investigation, the jellyfish consists of a two-dimensional articulated system of rigid bodies linked by hinges. The kinematics -- expressed via the hinge angles -- are adapted from experimentally measured motion. The free swimming system is explored via high-fidelity numerical simulation with a viscous vortex particle method with coupled body dynamics. The computational tool allows the arbitrary designation of individual hinges as ``active'' or ``passive,'' to introduce a mix of flexibility into the system. In some cases, replacing an active hinge with a passive spring can enhance the mean swimming speed, thus reducing the power requirements of the system. Varying the stiffness and damping coefficients of the spring yield different locomotive results. The numerical solution is used to compute the finite-time Lyapunov exponents (FTLE) throughout the field. The FTLE fields reveal manifolds in the flow that act as transport barriers, uncovering otherwise unseen geometric characteristics of the flow field that add new insight into the locomotion mechanics.

Land applications, in particular soil moisture retrieval, have been hampered by the lack of low frequency passive microwave observations and the coarse spatial resolution of existing sensors. The next decade could see several improved operational and exploratory missions using new technologies as w...

Contingent valuation (CV) is the only method currently available for practically measuring passive-use values. Because proposed laws may require that environmental regulations pass a benefit-cost test, CV has become central to the policy debate on environmental protection. Crit...

impact in the field, only a small selection of its channels have been analyzed. In this paper, we perform a complete practical-complexity, ciphertext-only cryptanalysis of all 66 encoded GSM channels. Moreover, we present a new passive attack which recovers the encryption key by exploiting the location...

Starting in June 2013, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the City of Philadelphia Air Measurements Services began collaborative research on the use of passive samplers (PSs) and stand-alone air measurement (SAM) systems to improve information on the...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the indoor air quality (IAQ) in newly built low energy houses. Measurements were performed in 22 passive houses and 21 conventional buildings during 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 heating seasons. The measured parameters were temperature, relative humidity......, concentration of CO2, NO2, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and live microbiological flora. Air exchange rates (AER) were determined from the concentration-time profiles of CO2. The median AER was slightly higher in the passive houses than in conventional buildings (0.66 h-1 vs. 0.60 h-1). The median...... concentrations in passive houses and conventional buildings were 9.7 and 11 μg/m3, respectively, for NO2, 12 and 16 μg/m3 for formaldehyde, and 230 and 145 μg/m3 for TVOC. The indoor microbiological flora did not differ, with a few exceptions, from outdoors. The IAQ in the passive buildings was judged to be...

whether strength training improves gait function. The study shows that explosive strength training increases RFD in the ankle dorsiflexors, and facilitates a larger active ROM during gait, without any changes in passive muscle stiffness. Based on study II and III, adults with CP will benefit from...

circuits in existing and future networks without affecting the power budget of the system. Silica on silicon technology offers a unique possibility to selectively dope sections of the integrated circuit with erbium where amplification is desired. Some techniques for active/passive integration are reviewed...... and a silica on silicon based approach is discussed in more detail....

According to the definition, passive houses in Europe meet a target energy demand for heating of less than 15 kWh per square meter and per year. This low level for the heating demand is based on heating by a small post-heater in the hygienic ventilation system at 52 0C maximum, while the ventilation

We show that the Casimir force between mirrors with arbitrary frequency dependent reflectivities obeys bounds due to causality and passivity properties. The force is always smaller than the Casimir force between two perfectly reflecting mirrors. For narrow-band mirrors in particular, the force is found to decrease with the mirrors bandwidth.

Passive treatment represents an alternative to conventional chemical treatment of coal mine drainage. When successful, passive systems require less investment, less maintenance and usually are less expensive than conventional chemical treatment systems. As a result, during the last seven years, more than 500 passive systems have been constructed in the United States to treat coal mine drainage. Some exist as an alternative to conventional treatment; others serve as an inexpensive pretreatment step than can decrease subsequent chemical requirements. Sulfide minerals present in rock disturbed during mining can oxidize to form an acidic metal-laden solution, commonly known as acid mine drainage (AMD). Alkalinity present in the rock may partially or completely neutralize AMD, but if either acidity or excessive metal contaminants remain, the water must be treated before it can be discharged legally. The principal regulated contaminant metals of coal mine drainage are iron and manganese. Metal mine drainage often contains more toxic metals, such as cadmium, nickel, copper and zinc. Chemical treatment of AMD is estimated to cost America's mining industry more than $1 million a day. Three principal passive technologies are used in the treatment of coal mine drainage: Aerobic wetlands, wetlands constructed with an organic substrate and anoxic limestone drains (ALDS). The selection of the technology or combination of technologies to be used depends on the quality of the water being treated

In this paper, we derive a coordinate-free formulation of a passive controller that makes a mechanical system track reference curves in a potential field. Contrary to conventional reference tracking, we do not specify a single time-varying trajectory that the system has to track. Instead, we specify

In this paper, we derive a coordinate-free formulation of a passive controller that makes a mechanical system track reference curves in a potential field. Contrary to conventional reference tracking, we do not specify a single time-varying trajectory that the system has to track. Instead, we specify

The classical random censorship model assumes that we follow an individual continuously up to the time of failure or censoring so observing this time as well as the indicator of its type Under passive registration we only get information on the state of the individual at random observation or regist

treatments are within the same concentration region, and they have a mutual pat-ent pending. Although some tests still need to be conducted, the following aspects are clear at the present time: The general appearance of the passivated zinc surface is very similar to a standard yellow chromate treatment...

WindSat satellite-based fully polarimetric passive microwave observations, expressed in the form of the Stokes vector, were analyzed over the Antarctic ice sheet. The vertically and horizontally polarized brightness temperatures (first two Stokes components) from WindSat are shown to be consistent w...

The aim of this research is to see if the displacement ventilation principle can protect a person from exposure to passive tobacco smoking. This is done by full-scale experiments with two breathing thermal manikins, smoke visualisations, and tracer gas measurements. In some situations, exhaled sm...... convective boundary layer flow around the body....

A multistage system has been proposed for cooling a circulating fluid that is subject to intermittent intense heating. The system would be both flexible and redundant in that it could operate in a basic passive mode, either sequentially or simultaneously with operation of a first, active cooling subsystem, and either sequentially or simultaneously with a second cooling subsystem that could be active, passive, or a combination of both. This flexibility and redundancy, in combination with the passive nature of at least one of the modes of operation, would make the system more reliable, relative to a conventional cooling system. The system would include a tube-in-shell heat exchanger, within which the space between the tubes would be filled with a phase-change material (PCM). The circulating hot fluid would flow along the tubes in the heat exchanger. In the basic passive mode of operation, heat would be conducted from the hot fluid into the PCM, wherein the heat would be stored temporarily by virtue of the phase change.

A new, improved passive irradiation temperature monitoring method was examined after an irradiation test at 627{degrees}C. The method is based on the analysis of thermal diffusivity changes during postirradiation annealing of polycrystalline SiC. Based on results from this test, several advantages for using this new method rather than a method based on length or lattice parameter changes are given.

When applying the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for precise kinematic positioning in airborne and shipborne gravimetry, multiple GNSS receiving equipment is often fixed mounted on the kinematic platform carrying the gravimetry instrumentation. Thus, the distances among these GNSS antennas are known and invariant. This information can be used to improve the accuracy and reliability of the state estimates. For this purpose, the known distances between the antennas are applied as a priori constraints within the state parameters adjustment. These constraints are introduced in such a way that their accuracy is taken into account. To test this approach, GNSS data of a Baltic Sea shipborne gravimetric campaign have been used. The results of our study show that an application of distance constraints improves the accuracy of the GNSS kinematic positioning, for example, by about 4 mm for the radial component. PMID:27043580

This paper considers a robust strong tracking nonlinear filtering problem in the case there are model uncertainties including the model mismatch, unknown disturbance and status mutation in the spacecraft attitude estimation system with quaternion constraint. Two multiple fading factor matrices are employed to regulate the prediction error covariance matrix, which guarantees its symmetry. The spherical-radial cubature rule is developed to deal with the multi-dimensional integrals. The quaternion constraint is maintained by utilizing the gain correction method. Therefore a robust strong tracking cubature Kalman filter (RSTCKF) is formed for the spacecraft attitude estimation with quaternion constraint. Unlike adopting a single fading factor in the traditional strong tracking filter, the presented filter uses two multiple fading factor matrices to make different channels have respective filter adjustment capability, which improves the tracking performance of this algorithm. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed RSTCKF.

Full Text Available The adjustable gain-clamped semiconductor optical amplifier (AGC-SOA uses two SOAs in a ring-cavity topology: one to amplify the signal and the other to control the gain. The device was designed to maximize the output saturated power while adjusting gain to regulate power differences between packets without loss of linearity. This type of subsystem can be used for power equalisation and linear amplification in packet-based dynamic systems such as passive optical networks (PONs. A detailed theoretical model is presented in this paper to simulate the operation of the AGC-SOA, which gives a better understanding of the underlying gain clamping mechanics. Simulations and comparisons with steady-state and dynamic gain modulation experimental performance are given which validate the model.

'Adjustment' in health refers to both processes and outcomes. Its measurement and conceptualisation in African cultures is limited. In total, 263 people living with HIV and receiving anti-retroviral therapy in clinics in Uganda completed a translated Mental Adjustment to HIV Scale, depression items from the Hopkins checklist and demographic questions. Factor analysis revealed four Mental Adjustment to HIV factors of active coping, cognitive-social adjustment, hopelessness and denial/avoidance. Correlations with depression supported the Mental Adjustment to HIV's validity and the importance of active adjustment, while the role of cognitive adjustment was unclear. Factors were process or outcome focussed, suggesting a need for theory-based measures in general. PMID:25030794

The DFG Priority Program SAMPLE (South Atlantic Margin Processes and Links with onshore Evolution: http://www.sample-spp.de/), which is to be completed 2016, has studied the evolution of the South Atlantic from its Cretaceous inception to the present day. The program has an explicit interdisciplinary focus, drawing on constraints from deep Earth geophysics, lithosphere and basin dynamics, petrology, landscape evolution and geodesy, thus linking processes that are commonly studied in isolation. Starting from the premise that passive margins are first-order geo-archives, the program has placed the South Atlantic opening history into an observational and theoretical context that considers seismic imaging, plate motion histories, uplift and subsidence events, magmatic and surface evolution, together with models of mantle convection and lithosphere dynamics. A primary lesson is that passive margins are active, displaying a range of vertical motion (i.e. dynamic topography) events, apparently correlated with plate motion changes, that do not conform to traditional rifting models of passive margins. I will summarize some observational results of the program, and place them into a geodynamic context.

Highlights: • We newly propose the design concept of integrated passive safety system (IPSS). • It has five safety functions for decay heat removal and severe accident mitigation. • Simulations for IPSS show that core melt does not occur in accidents with SBO. • IPSS can achieve the passive in-vessel retention and ex-vessel cooling strategy. • The applicability of IPSS is high due to the installation outside the containment. -- Abstract: The design concept of integrated passive safety system (IPSS) which can perform various passive safety functions is proposed in this paper. It has the various functions of passive decay heat removal system, passive safety injection system, passive containment cooling system, passive in-vessel retention and cavity flooding system, and filtered venting system with containment pressure control. The objectives of this paper are to propose the conceptual design of an IPSS and to estimate the design characters of the IPSS with accident simulations using MARS code. Some functions of the IPSS are newly proposed and the other functions are reviewed with the integration of the functions. Consequently, all of the functions are modified and integrated for simplicity of the design in preparation for beyond design based accidents (BDBAs) focused on a station black out (SBO). The simulation results with the IPSS show that the decay heat can be sufficiently removed in accidents that occur with a SBO. Also, the molten core can be retained in a vessel via the passive in-vessel retention strategy of the IPSS. The actual application potential of the IPSS is high, as numerous strong design characters are evaluated. The installation of the IPSS into the original design of a nuclear power plant requires minimal design change using the current penetrations of the containment. The functions are integrated in one or two large tanks outside the containment. Furthermore, the operation time of the IPSS can be increased by refilling coolant from the

Highlights: • We newly propose the design concept of integrated passive safety system (IPSS). • It has five safety functions for decay heat removal and severe accident mitigation. • Simulations for IPSS show that core melt does not occur in accidents with SBO. • IPSS can achieve the passive in-vessel retention and ex-vessel cooling strategy. • The applicability of IPSS is high due to the installation outside the containment. -- Abstract: The design concept of integrated passive safety system (IPSS) which can perform various passive safety functions is proposed in this paper. It has the various functions of passive decay heat removal system, passive safety injection system, passive containment cooling system, passive in-vessel retention and cavity flooding system, and filtered venting system with containment pressure control. The objectives of this paper are to propose the conceptual design of an IPSS and to estimate the design characters of the IPSS with accident simulations using MARS code. Some functions of the IPSS are newly proposed and the other functions are reviewed with the integration of the functions. Consequently, all of the functions are modified and integrated for simplicity of the design in preparation for beyond design based accidents (BDBAs) focused on a station black out (SBO). The simulation results with the IPSS show that the decay heat can be sufficiently removed in accidents that occur with a SBO. Also, the molten core can be retained in a vessel via the passive in-vessel retention strategy of the IPSS. The actual application potential of the IPSS is high, as numerous strong design characters are evaluated. The installation of the IPSS into the original design of a nuclear power plant requires minimal design change using the current penetrations of the containment. The functions are integrated in one or two large tanks outside the containment. Furthermore, the operation time of the IPSS can be increased by refilling coolant from the

This paper systematically investigates the dynamic behavior of stay cables with passive negative stiffness dampers (NSD) installed close to the cable end. A passive NSD is modeled as a combination of a negative stiffness spring and a viscous damper. Through both analytical and numerical approaches, parametric analysis of negative stiffness and viscous damping are conducted to systematically evaluate the vibration control performance of passive NSD on stay cables. Since negative stiffness is an unstable element, the boundary of passive negative stiffness for stay cables to maintain stability is also derived. Results reveal that the asymptotic approach is only applicable to passive dampers with positive or moderate negative stiffness, and loses its accuracy when a passive NSD possesses significant negative stiffness. It has been found that the performance of passive NSD can be much better than those of conventional viscous dampers. The superior control performance of passive NSD in cable vibration mitigation is validated through numerical simulations of a full-scale stay cable.

A method for passive background correction during spatially or angularly resolved detection of emission that is based on the simultaneous acquisition of both the passive background spectrum and the spectrum of the target of interest.

Decay heat removal in post-accident is one of the most important aspects concerned in the reactor safety analysis. Passive decay heat removal approach is used to enhance nuclear safety. In advanced reactors, decay heat is removed by multiple passive heat removal paths through core to ultimate heat sink by passive residual heat removal system, passive injection system, passive containment cooling system and so on. Various passive decay heat removal approaches are summarized in this paper, the common features and differences of their heat removal paths are analyzed, and the design principle of passive systems for decay heat removal is discussed. It is found that. these decay heat removal paths is combined by some basic heat transfer processes, by the combination of these basic processes, diverse passive decay heat removal approach or system design scheme can be drawn. (authors)

A new passive residual heat removal system (PRHRS) based on density lock was designed. By changing mass flux in pressure-adjustment loop and maintaining high temperature water flowing in circular loop, hydraulic balance can be built in density lock, which can separate main loop away from heat removal loop. Based on AP1000 reactor coolant system, the characteristics of PRHRS on normal conditions were analyzed by using RELAP5/MOD 3.2 code. It is shown that hydraulic balance can be built in density lock and the PRHRS can be started up successfully by controlling pump speed in pressure-adjustment loop, and during normal conditions, if the parameters of reactor changes, the density lock can also be 'locked' under the feedback control of the controlling system, which can ensure primary loop away from PRHRS. (authors)